The Charlotte Hornets trailed the Boston Celtics 24-14 with 4:25 left in the first quarter Friday night. Then Boston forward Jayson Tatum scored 10 of the Celtics' next 16 points.
Boston led 40-20 after one quarter and 70-39 at halftime, and Charlotte never got closer than 19 again. The Celtics won 119-80 at Spectrum Center. Tatum had 18 points in the first quarter and 34 in 29 minutes.
It was Charlotte's sixth straight loss. The Hornets are 3-7, 11th in the Eastern Conference. The game also counted in NBA Cup group play, part of the league's in-season tournament.
Guard Brandon Miller scored all eight of his points in the first quarter and played less than 14 minutes. Hornets coach Charles Lee said he saw Miller start to limp before Miller asked to come out. The team will evaluate him over the weekend and expects to have more information Monday, Lee said.
"I just thought that we weren't as sharp as we should have been," Lee said. His team got "a little bit better" as the game went on, he said, "but they had already found a rhythm at that point."
Charlotte made 27 of 92 shots and 11 of 50 3-pointers. Boston made 24 of 44 from 3-point range.
The Hornets were already short-handed. Forward Kon Knueppel, guard Dennis Schröder, center Moussa Diabate and three others were inactive, and forward Grant Williams did not play, listed with an injury or illness.
Knueppel, the fourth pick in the 2025 draft, made his season debut Wednesday in Brooklyn and played less than six minutes. Before Friday's game, Lee said Knueppel was "still being evaluated" and that it would take "a little bit of time" to give a correct timeline.
Two rookies from June's first round each played more than 24 minutes. Lee said before the game that the team got center Hannes Steinbach and guard Christian Anderson Jr. "out of their cars as they were driving to Greensboro," where the team's G League affiliate plays. Steinbach had 11 rebounds and three blocks, and Anderson had five assists.
The streak reached five on Wednesday at Barclays Center, where the Brooklyn Nets won 114-104. Charlotte led by seven at halftime, and the game was tied 80-80 after three quarters. With Brooklyn up 89-87, Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. made three 3-pointers in 79 seconds, and Brooklyn led 99-91 with 7:15 left. Forward Naz Reid scored 28 for Charlotte.
The Hornets host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. Monday.