The Boston Celtics are a different team now in comparison to last season. The Celtics added two All-Stars to their roster this offseason and judging by the preseason, this could turn out to be a great move by Boston. They acquired Kyrie Irving via trade this past summer, and also signed Gordon Hayward as a free-agent. Led by these two All-Stars, the Celtics continued their preseason winning-streak on Wednesday night as they faced the Charlotte Hornets. The Celtics came into this matchup having won all of their three previous preseason games.
Irving leads Boston to yet another victory
Right from the start, the Celtics were in control of this game. They outscored Charlotte 24-20 in the first quarter and midway through the second period their lead was 40-31. At halftime, the score was 57-38 in favor of the Celtics. They led by as many as 24 points in this one, as the score was 65-41 early in the third quarter. Heading into the final period of the game, Boston held an 84-70 lead. The Hornets managed to come back in this game as they even regained the lead at 97-96 late in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough. Boston ended up winning the game 107-100 as they held the Hornets to 42.0 percent shooting from the field.
Kyrie Irving led the way once again for the Celtics.
He finished with 16 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds in 27 minutes of playing time. Al Horford added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Gordon Hayward contributed with 13 points and four assists.
For the Hornets, it was their rookie, Malik Monk, who led them in scoring with 21 points off the bench. Monk also added 6 rebounds and three assists.
Kemba Walker finished the game with 12 points and six assists, while Dwight Howard also scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Miami edges Washington in a thriller
The Miami Heat hosted the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Arena. The Wizards jumped out to an early lead, outscoring the Heat 30-19 in the first quarter.
It seemed like the Wizards could run away with this one, but Miami answered with a 31-point second quarter. The score was 53-50 for Washington at halftime. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Wizards still had the lead as they were in front 87-83. The Heat once again answered with a great fourth quarter of they own, as they outscored the Wizards 34-28 in the final period and celebrated a narrow, 117-115 victory.
Miami had five players in double-digit scoring on Wednesday night. Bam Adebayo led the way for the Heat with 15 points off the bench, while Tyler Johnson finished with 14 points and three assists. Josh Richardson added 13 points for the Heat.
Jason Smith was the leading scorer for Washington in this one. Smith finished with 20 points in 22 minutes of action. John Wall added 16 points and eight assists, while his backcourt partner, Bradley Beal, finished with 15 points and four rebounds.
