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Sunday, Mar. 4 3:00pm ET
Hornets push winning streak to seven

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

BOSTON (AP) – Charlotte's scouting report showed that the Boston Celtics struggle against high-scoring opponents. That revelation made the Hornets go on the offensive.

Jamal Mashburn scored 27 points, including 16 in Charlotte's 39-point first-quarter outburst, as the Hornets beat Boston 116-97 Sunday, ending the Celtics' seven-game home winning streak.

Antoine Walker
Antoine Walker, right, loses out on a rebound to Charlotte's Eddie Robinson. Walker led the Celtics with 27 points.

The Hornets, who entered the game ranked 25th in the league in scoring at 90.2 points per game, came out firing and never let up.

"We know we can play defense," said Baron Davis, who finished with 24 points. "Our problem has been scoring.

"We got 39 in the first quarter. Our goal is to get only 25 a quarter. We were into putting a lot of points on the board."

David Wesley scored 22 points and had eight assists for the Hornets, who won their seventh straight and for the ninth time in 10 games. P.J. Brown had 12 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

"It all hinges on our ability to make shots," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "If we do, we can play with anybody in the East."

Entering the game, the Hornets were ranked third in the league in defense. It was their offense that was the difference against Boston, which is 4-21 when its opponents score 100 or more points.

"They have a good inside-outside game. They took it to us," Boston's Antoine Walker said.

Walker scored 27 points and Paul Pierce 24 for the Celtics, who lost their first home game since Jan. 12, interim coach Jim O'Brien's third game. The seven-game run was the Celtics' longest winning streak at the FleetCenter since the building opened for the 1995-96 season.

Boston made nine of its first 12 field-goal attempts, and Charlotte shot 8-for-12 in the first quarter.

After that, the Celtics couldn't keep up.

"We made some adjustments in our defense," Mashburn said. "When you're playing, you really don't notice how well you're (shooting)."

The Hornets used a 7-0 run midway through the opening quarter for a 39-32 lead after one. Mashburn, who had 16 points in the period, had four during the run.

The Hornets, who shot 70 percent in the first quarter, used an 8-0 run early in the second quarter to push their lead to 51-40. They maintained a double-digit lead and held a 64-48 advantage at halftime.

The Hornets' lead never fell below double digits the rest of the game.

The Hornets built their lead to 22 points four times in the third quarter and led 90-68 after three periods.

The closest the Celtics came in the final quarter was 12.

Game notes
Charlotte shot 14-for-20 in the first quarter. ... Under O'Brien, the Celtics are 8-3 at the FleetCenter and 14-12 overall. ... Entering the game, Mashburn was averaging 20.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists since the All-Star break. ... Pierce had 15 points in the first 7:36, but was held scoreless for the rest of the half.

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RECAPS
Toronto 98
New York 88

Charlotte 116
Boston 97

Detroit 93
Orlando 84

New Jersey 120
Indiana 96

Utah 118
Washington 98

Minnesota 119
Seattle 111

Miami 91
Cleveland 79

LA Lakers 110
Golden State 95


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