Celtics Force 30 Turnovers, Rout Hornets 114-93 to Stay Perfect in Preseason

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics didn’t just win their third straight preseason game Wednesday night. They dismantled the Charlotte Hornets‘ offense with a defensive clinic that produced a staggering 30 turnovers, fueling a 114-93 rout at TD Garden that underscored the identity Joe Mazzulla has built since taking over as head coach.

Boston’s 11 turnovers marked the third consecutive game the Celtics have committed fewer than 15, a statistical anomaly in exhibition play where sloppiness typically reigns. The plus-19 turnover margin wasn’t merely a product of Charlotte’s youth — though the Hornets started three players aged 22 or younger — but of a Celtics defense that swarmed passing lanes, doubled aggressively, and converted mistakes into transition opportunities at a rate that mirrored their 2023-24 championship regular season.

“We’re not trying to be cute,” Mazzulla said afterward. “We’re trying to make the game ugly for the other team.”

Jayson Tatum paced Boston with 19 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes, but the most telling performance came from Mitchell Robinson. The 7-foot center, acquired from New York in a July sign-and-trade that sent a protected first-round pick to the Knicks, finished with 12 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting, seven rebounds, and three blocks in just 22 minutes. His vertical presence at the rim altered another half-dozen Charlotte shots, offering early validation of a frontcourt pairing with Kristaps Porziņģis that gives Boston two legitimate 7-foot shot-blockers — a luxury no other contender possesses.

Derrick White continued his preseason mastery, scoring 17 points with four steals in only 19 minutes. White has yet to play more than 22 minutes in any exhibition game yet leads the team in deflections per 36 minutes, a metric that correlates strongly with Boston’s league-leading defensive rating since the 2022-23 season.

The Hornets, meanwhile, offered a glimpse of both their promise and their growing pains. Brandon Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in 2023, led Charlotte with 16 points and five rebounds while showing improved mid-range touch. But the second-year forward also committed six turnovers, emblematic of a team that ranked 28th in assist-to-turnover ratio last season and returned essentially the same core.

Boston’s only notable absence was Devin Carter, the Providence College product sidelined for a second straight game with illness. The 22-year-old guard remains the frontrunner for the Celtics’ final two-way contract slot, a decision that likely won’t be finalized until after Friday’s preseason finale in Philadelphia. Carter’s perimeter defense and secondary playmaking would fill a specific need behind White and Jrue Holiday, though the Celtics could also opt to carry 14 standard contracts and leave the two-way spot open for in-season flexibility.

The win pushed Boston to 15-3 in preseason games since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, a record that means little in isolation but reflects a program that treats October games as competitive reps rather than glorified scrimmages. The Celtics host the Knicks on Oct. 22 for their regular-season opener, a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals that New York won in six games.

Friday’s matchup with the 76ers — who have yet to play Joel Embiid, Paul George, or Tyrese Maxey together this preseason — will close Boston’s exhibition schedule. A victory would complete a 4-0 sweep and send the defending champions into the regular season with zero preseason losses for the first time since 2008-09.