LaMelo Ball's last field goal on Tuesday night came with 8:13 left in the third quarter. Charlotte was still leading. Ball had 36 points, six three-pointers, and six assists — the kind of line that tied Kemba Walker for the most games in franchise history with at least 35 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five made threes.

Then Boston sent Jordan Walsh to guard him. Ball attempted one shot against Walsh the rest of the quarter and scored his final four points at the free-throw line. He did not make another field goal. For the final 20 minutes of a game Charlotte needed to win, the franchise's best player went quiet.

Boston won 113-102.

How the Game Turned

The Hornets entered the second half with a lead and looked like the better team. By the end of the third quarter, the Celtics led 90-87. Boston outscored Charlotte 35-26 in those 12 minutes, with Jaylen Brown — who finished with 35 points and nine rebounds — attacking the rim in a way Charlotte's defense could not contain. Jayson Tatum added 23 on 8-of-15 shooting.

The Walsh adjustment was the fulcrum. Ball had 32 points when Walsh checked in. He scored four more the rest of the game. Walsh navigated screens, contested at the rim, and gave Ball nothing clean to shoot at. One field-goal attempt against his primary defender over the final stretch of a pivotal game.

Fifteen Points

Charlotte scored 15 in the fourth quarter. Brown and Tatum combined for 15 of their own — two Celtics matching the entire Hornets roster over 12 minutes. Boston built a 13-point lead and the game was over.

Brandon Miller finished with 20 points. Miles Bridges had 13 and 12 rebounds. Kon Knueppel shot 5-for-16 from the field and finished with 13. Charlotte had enough production to stay in the game through three quarters, but when Brown and Tatum locked in and Walsh took Ball out of the equation, no one else stepped into the void.

From Eighth to Ninth

Charlotte falls to 43-37 and the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. The play-in tracker tells the story: twenty-four hours ago, the Hornets held the eighth seed — the one that gives you two games in the play-in tournament. Lose the 7-8 game, and you still play the winner of the 9-10 matchup for the final playoff spot.

At nine, you get one game. Beat Miami on April 14 or the season is over.

Two games remain: Detroit at home on April 10, the regular-season finale at Madison Square Garden on April 12. Charlotte needs results and help to climb back to eighth. The schedule is no longer the variable they control.

The Boston Pattern

This is the second time in ten days that Boston has erased a Charlotte lead in the second half. On March 29 at Spectrum Center, the Celtics held the Hornets to 12-for-43 from three in a 114-99 loss. On Tuesday, they gave up an 11-point first-half deficit and locked the game down with one defensive substitution and 20 minutes of adjustments Charlotte could not match.

The one game Charlotte won this season — 118-89 on March 4 — was a wire-to-wire blowout. Boston never trailed, never had to adjust. Every competitive game in the season series has ended the same way: Boston finds the answer in the second half, and Charlotte does not have a counter.

Ball is having the healthiest and most productive season of his career. His impact on this franchise is not in question. The question is what happens when a team like Boston identifies him as the problem to solve — and solves it with a single defensive substitution.

Charlotte has two games left. Then it plays Miami once, with everything on the line.