The 3-point shot got Boston off to a fine start against the Charlotte Hornets.
But it was their defense that ultimately put the pesky Hornets away as the Celtics surged ahead in the fourth quarter for a 104-98 victory.
Boston (2-1) has now won four in a row on the road against Charlotte.
Just as important, it was a strong performance against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference that came in having won its first two games of the season on the road – a first for the Hornets franchise.
After leading most of the first half, Boston found itself down 72-71 going into the fourth quarter after a last-second shot by Nicolas Batum.
But the Celtics buckled down defensively and began to do what they did to start the game – bury 3-pointers.
Leading the Celtics’ 3-point barrage was Avery Bradley who led all scorers with 31 points which included a career-high eight made 3-pointers. Bradley also did his part on the boards, finishing with a career-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Boston Celtics
Boston opened the fourth with a 22-7 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Jonas Jerebko that put the ahead 93-79 with 4:22 to play.
Charlotte cut Boston’s lead back to single digits, but the Celtics continued to make the plays necessary on defense, hold their own on the boards and get contributions offensively from multiple players down the stretch.
In addition to the big game by Bradley, Isaiah Thomas had yet another solid night for the Celtics with 24 points.
The Hornets made it interesting late in the fourth quarter courtesy of some strong play from ex-UConn star Kemba Walker.
After having just five points in the first half on 1-for-6 shooting, Walker finished with a team-high 29 points.