CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Sam Hauser poured in 25 points on seven 3s and the Boston Celtics avenged an early season loss to the Charlotte Hornets with a 118-104 victory on Monday night.
Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points and Derrick White had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who’ve won 11 of their last 13 games.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Sam Hauser poured in 25 points on seven 3s and the Boston Celtics avenged an early season loss to the Charlotte Hornets with a 118-104 victory on Monday night.
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, right, shoots against Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) shoots over Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) shoots over Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla directs his team against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) shoots over Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, right, argues with referee Brandon Schwab for a foul during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. Clifford received a technical foul. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives against Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Hauser finished 7 of 11 from beyond the arc and the Celtics made 19 3s against the Hornets to avenge a 121-118 overtime loss on Nov. 20 in Charlotte when Miles Bridges hit a game-winning 3 with 6.6 seconds left.
Boston (59-16), which has already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, is now 27-0 this season when it makes at least 18 3s in a game.
Hauser was quick to attribute his hot shooting — many of which were open looks — to Tatum.
“I feel like we are always making the right pass and making the extra reads,” said Hauser, who was 7 of 11 from beyond the arc. “JT (Tatum) draws a lot of traps and and extra help and he's able to make the right plays out of that.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla credited Hauser for playing confident, while adding his production is a byproduct of what the Celtics do offensively.
“I think just layers of our offense is what unleashes him," Mazzulla said. "The guys understand that he’s a weapon in different ways, and so when we get to the second and third layer of our offense, especially when teams are guarding us a certain way, it really unleashes guys like Sam. And his teammates continuing to trust him and find him within the layers of our offense.”
Bridges paced the Hornets with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Grant Williams added 23 points and Brandon Miller 19 points.
Charlotte hung tough for awhile against Boston.
But the Celtics blew the game open in the third quarter, exerting its size advantage as Porzingis scored 11 points to help open a 16-point lead. Porzingis feasted on a Hornets team playing without 7-foot centers Nick Richards and Mark Williams due to injuries.
Hauser then added two dagger 3s in the fourth quarter, stretching the lead to 19. He had five 3s in the second half.
The Celtics dominated the smaller Hornets on the glass 51-40, and grabbed three offensive rebounds on one fourth quarter possession before White scored on a driving layup to put Boston up 111-96 with 5:37 left in the game. The look of exasperation could be seen on the Hornets faces, after being unable to corral a rebound.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said his team struggled to get its defense set at different times during the game.
“The fastbreak points are totally misleading,” Clifford said. "They only had seven, but they had us on our heels for so many possessions because we just didn’t get ahead of the ball and get our defense set. To me, watching them play, you have to do that. They’re maybe 10th in fastbreak points, but they get the ball up the floor and into things quickly, and those were our worst possessions tonight.”
UP NEXT
Celtics: Host Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Hornets: Host Portland on Wednesday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Charlotte Hornets guard Vasa Micic (22) drives to the basket ahead of Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, right, shoots against Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) shoots over Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) shoots over Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla directs his team against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) shoots over Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, right, argues with referee Brandon Schwab for a foul during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. Clifford received a technical foul. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives against Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings played a tight-checking series at even strength. The special teams matchup, however, was lopsided — and that’s why it ended in five games.
“That was a difference in this series,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said.
Leon Draisaitl scored twice, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to win their first-round NHL playoff series.
The Oilers power play went 1 for 5 on the night but scored twice just after time had expired on a penalty. Edmonton finished 9 for 20 with the man-advantage in the five games. Los Angeles, meanwhile, was 0 for 1 in this game, going scoreless on 12 power plays in the series.
“It’s pretty simple to write this one,” Kings interim head coach Jim Hiller said. “You saw one team execute, and one team not, on special teams.”
Zach Hyman -- with his seventh goal of the postseason -- and Evander Kane also scored for Edmonton, which only dropped a 5-4 loss in overtime of Game 2 in the best-of-seven series.
Evan Bouchard added three assists, and Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two each as Edmonton’s offense broke out at Rogers Place. McDavid extended his points total to a playoff-leading 12 (one goal, 11 assists).
Stuart Skinner made 18 saves after posting a shutout in Edmonton’s 1-0 win at Los Angeles in Game 4.
The Oilers move on to the second round, where they’ll face the winner of a matchup between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators. Vancouver leads the series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Friday in Nashville.
The Oilers now get some rest while waiting for their next opponent.
“Rest is always a good thing, rest is a weapon this time of year,” McDavid said. “That being said, we have to make sure we’re ready to roll. Practice hard against each other ... make sure there’s no change in our game.”
Adrian Kempe, Alex Laferriere and Blake Lizotte scored for Los Angeles, and David Rittich stopped 22 shots in his second straight start.
Edmonton eliminated Los Angeles in the opening round for the third straight year after coming out on top in six games in 2023 and seven in 2022.
“You’re out of the playoffs regardless of who beats you, but definitely not a great feeling getting the worst of it three years in a row,” the Kings' Anze Kopitar said. ”We’ve just got to play better, really. Special teams hurt us a lot, obviously, this series. There were parts of the games where we were good, we were dictating the game, but you’ve got to do it, obviously, more often and every game, too, in order to win the series.”
Down 2-1 in the second period, the Oilers scored three consecutive goals to take 4-2 lead.
Draisaitl had a power-play goal at 7:44 after a couple exchanges with McDavid to tie it. Rittich appeared to rob Draisaitl with a desperation glove save, but fans cheered as if it were a goal upon seeing the replay and officials ruled the puck crossed the line after a video review.
McDavid and Draisaitl connected again just after a penalty expired with 7:39 left in the period for the German forward’s fifth of the playoffs.
“When he’s got his feet moving, when he’s playing hard on both sides of the puck, there’s not many guys better than him in the whole world,” McDavid said. “He always seems to bring that game this time of year.”
The undisciplined Kings put Edmonton up a man again near the end of the period. This time, Hyman tapped home a puck on the goal line moments after Kings forward Pierre-Luc Dubois stepped out of the box to make it 4-2.
The Oilers hunkered down to hold off the Kings most of the third. But with the goalie pulled, Kempe deflected a shot past Skinner with 2:18 left to trim the deficit to one.
The Kings pressured for an equalizer in the final two minutes until Phillip Danault hooked Draisaitl with 19.7 seconds left — sending Edmonton on a power play and squashing L.A.’s chances of a comeback.
Kane opened the scoring on Edmonton’s second shot of the night at 10:17 with a soft backhand that slipped past Rittich.
Los Angeles tied it with 28 seconds left in the first when the puck caromed around the boards and bounced in front of the net to Laferriere, who shot into an open net with Skinner out to play the puck.
Lizotte then scored 3:08 into the second to give Los Angeles its only lead of the game and quiet Rogers Place before Edmonton replied with an onslaught.
It’s the first time the Oilers have advanced from the first round in three straight years since 1990-92.
The Oilers fell 4-2 in the second round to the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights last year.
McDavid became the sixth player to record 10 or more assists through the first five games of the playoffs — and the first in nearly 30 years. Draisaitl joined McDavid and Sidney Crosby as the third active player to record 10 points in four or more playoff series.
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Los Angeles Kings goalie David Rittich (31) looks on as Edmonton Oilers' Vincent Desharnais (73), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93), Leon Draisaitl (29), Evander Kane (91) and Brett Kulak (27) celebrate a goal during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings players celebrate a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings' Alex Laferriere (78) scores a goal on Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings goalie David Rittich (31) is scored on by Edmonton Oilers' Zach Hyman (18) during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings' Matt Roy (3) chases Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) as goalie David Rittich (31) poke checks the puck during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings' Mikey Anderson (44) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) chase Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) and Mattias Ekholm (14) celebrate the win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers players shake hands after the Oilers won Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl (29), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) and Zach Hyman (18) celebrate a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers' Mattias Ekholm (14) celebrates the win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93), Leon Draisaitl (29), Evan Bouchard (2), Zach Hyman (18) and Connor McDavid (97) celebrate a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on Wednesday May 1, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
