The Boston Celtics defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 127-116, at TD Garden on Friday night.

The Celtics (40-16) played out the first half like the heavy favorites they came into the contest as, leading to a 71-53 advantage by halftime. However, the underdog Hornets (15-42) were undeterred, outscoring Boston by a 63-56 margin over the final two quarters to make matters somewhat interesting late. Charlotte was as close as within 10 points on multiple occasions in the closing minutes before the hosts closed matters out.

Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 27 points, adding three assists, one rebound and three steals. Lonzo Ball generated a 24-point, 10-assist double-double that included nine rebounds and one steal. P.J. Washington furnished 17 points, seven rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal. Mark Williams generated an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double that included two assists and one block.

Jayson Tatum paced the Celtics with 41 points, supplementing them with four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal. Derrick White followed with a 33-point, 10-assist double-double that included three rebounds, three blocks and one steal. Sam Hauser and the debuting Mike Muscala provided 12 points apiece while recording three and two assists, respectively.

The Hornets return home to host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday evening, while the Celtics remain home and welcome in the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon.