The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Boston Celtics, 124-117, at Spectrum Center on Saturday evening.

The Hornets (33-39) are in must-win mode each time they take the court for the balance of the season, but they appeared to be outmatched early in Saturday's game. Charlotte fell behind by a 35-29 margin at the end of one quarter, but they bounced back to erase all but one point of their deficit by halftime. The Celtics (43-30) appeared to regain control in the third by extending their advantage out to nine points. However, Charlotte fired on all cylinders from the 7:43 mark of the fourth onward, as they finished the contest on an eye-popping 30-5 run from that point.

Kyrie Irving led the way for the Celtics with 31 points, adding seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Jaylen Brown poured in 29 points and added four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal. Marcus Morris produced 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier generated matching 12-point tallies, with Tatum also hauling in six boards and dishing out four assists.

Kemba Walker paced the Hornets with 36 points, supplementing them with 11 rebounds, nine assists and two steals. Miles Bridges furnished 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Marvin Williams and Malik Monk tallied 13 points each. Dwayne Bacon delivered 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and one block.

The Celtics head back home to face the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night, while the Hornets pay a visit to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday evening as well.