Charlotte ends Boston’s three-game NBA streak in lopsided win

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Charlotte Hornets played spoiler after halting the Boston Celtics’ three-game winning streak, 118–89, in the ongoing NBA regular season on March 5, 2026.

With the huge victory over the East’s second-seeded team, the Hornets extended their winning streak to six straight games and are only two wins away from cracking the conference’s top eight.

Charlotte not only took down the biggest team it had faced in the last six games, but it also asserted its mastery over a healthy Boston squad on the road, in front of a raucous crowd of 19,156 fans at TD Garden.

The Hornets quickly blew the game wide open after mounting a 14-point lead in the opening quarter, courtesy of a lights-out shooting performance from Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel and superstar point guard LaMelo Ball.

Knueppel kicked off Charlotte’s efficient shooting outing in the first quarter, knocking down two early 3-pointers before Ball ran the show, picking the Celtics’ backcourt apart with his unpredictable playmaking.

Just when Boston thought it could maintain its red-hot start in the second quarter, the Hornets responded with a demoralizing 14–2 counterattack in the final stretch of the frame, en route to a 21-point advantage at the half, 64–43.

The Celtics tried to address Charlotte’s flex action by opting for a surprising mixed-zone defense, but the Hornets easily answered with pin-down elbow-screen plays for Knueppel, who sprayed more trifectas that created more problems for Boston.

Despite Jaylen Brown’s resurgence in the second half, the Celtics failed to match Charlotte’s balanced offensive effort, as 11 players entered the scoring column.

Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla had already seen enough with seven minutes remaining in the game, throwing in the white towel with a massive bench overhaul.

Knueppel led the Hornets with a team-high 20-point outing on an efficient 4-of-8 shooting from downtown, along with four rebounds and a block.

Steady small forward Brandon Miller and Ball each delivered 18 markers, while newly acquired guard Coby White added 17 points and six assists.

On the other hand, Derrick White and Brown combined for 49 points for the Celtics, but they were the only players who reached double figures in scoring.

Charlotte will gun for its seventh consecutive NBA win on March 7, 2026, against the Miami Heat, while the Celtics go back to the drawing board on the same date against the Dallas Mavericks.