Back-to-back victories in the NBA are never an easy endeavor, but the Boston Celtics did not help themselves on the road in Charlotte. The Celtics had numerous opportunities to put away a young Hornets squad, but were unable to capitalize on crucial opportunities and ultimately fell to the Hornets 121-118 in overtime.

Jayson Tatum scored 45 points (15 on-of-28 shooting from the field, including 23 in the second quarter), but missed a crucial free throw at the end of overtime. The remainder of the legendary starting lineup of the Celtics struggled. Early in the second half, Jaylen Brown was involved in foul trouble, while Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis missed six free throws and combined for a 10-of-25 field goal percentage. Holiday missed two free throws with seconds remaining in regulation, which would have extended the Celtics’ lead by four points. LaMelo Ball led the Hornets in scoring with 36 points, while Gordon Hayward contributed 20 and rookie Mark Williams recorded a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds.

In the early minutes of the evening, the Celtics appeared somewhat sluggish in comparison to the sprightly Hornets, who were competing in their second game in succession. Nine early points and a stupendous half-court assist to second-year center Mark Williams demonstrated that Ball appeared especially poised to throw them off balance. Boston missed its first five three-point attempts of the evening and exhibited early indications of difficulty from the charity stripe with a 57% free throw percentage in the first quarter.

Tatum and Brown each scored eight points in the first quarter, but Payton Pritchard provided a much more improbable catalyst for the Celtics’ offense to gain momentum. Momentarily shrugging off his early season melancholy, he opened the game ahead with 12 points on four three-pointers in the first quarter. The Celtics held a 31-25 lead over the Hornets at the start of the second quarter.

Tatum converted six consecutive made-threes into a string of one by converting his second missed three of the match to extend the Celtics’ lead. Tatum established himself as the game’s primary scorer against the Charlotte defense, putting an end to Pritchard’s brief reign. Because Tatum accumulated 31 first-half points (23 in the second quarter), the Celtics’ margin ballooned to 18 points, which was double-digit at one point. The Hornets responded with a brief spurt of their own, which was capped by Ball to freshman Brandon Miller in an alley-oop that compelled Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout. However, the Celtics maintained their 11-point advantage at halftime, 65-54.

The Celtics were made acutely aware of their shorthanded nature for the duration of the second half on this evening. Both Derrick White and Al Horford were absent for personal reasons or their regularly scheduled rest during the second half of the consecutive match, resulting in their absences being regretted. The Celtics’ defense was torn apart by the duo of Ball and Williams, whose 11-3 run in the first minute of the quarter narrowly narrowed the deficit to one possession.

Brown, who was forced to the bench after accumulating his fifth infraction in the middle of the third quarter, added insult to injury. After failing to make six free throws and squandering six points through the first three quarters, the Celtics found themselves significantly trailing in the foul game. They held a six-point advantage heading into the final frame, 87-81. It was immediately apparent that this game would not be any simpler than the previous two.

The Payton Pritchard Show resumed in the fourth quarter, when an early flurry of touchdowns moved him past the 20-point mark with his season-high total. Additionally, Svi Mykhailiuk’s effective substitution aided the Celtics by bridging the distance created by Brown’s foul situation through the threat of his movement shooting. With slightly less than six minutes remaining, they reached 100 points, an action that triggered Lawler’s Law and coincided with Brown’s return to the court. Five minutes remained in regulation and they held a nine-point lead over the Hornets.

Once again, the Celtics were confronted with a crucial game in which the Hornets drew within two possessions with time running out. Ball and Williams continued to cause pandemonium, with the former reducing the deficit to four with one minute remaining on a deep three-pointer that tallied 30 points. Following Tatum’s failure to convert a layup during the subsequent possession, Williams restored the lead with another layup, this time facilitated by Ball.

Holiday drew a foul on Ball during a drive to the basket with ten seconds remaining, thereby placing himself in a position to effectively seal the contest. Surprisingly, he failed to convert both of the subsequent free throws, and the Hornets scored a tie on their following possession. A tenacious layup by Ball gave the Celtics the ball with seven seconds remaining and an opportunity to steal the victory for the Hornets. Due to the unsuccessful three-point attempt by Hauser, the contest was forced into overtime.

Early in the overtime period, Ball committed his fifth penalty on Brown’s drive. However, he was also affected by the free throw bug, and he converted only one of the two subsequent free throws. The Hornets took a one-point lead when Ball made a layup on the opposing end, but Tatum failed to convert another vicious layup during the Hornets’ subsequent possession. This evening, the Celtics squandered a considerable number of points on the board due to missed free throws and errant layups.

Ball’s step-out of bounds on a corner three-point attempt and Williams’ apparent own goal off a rebound attempt attributed to Porzingis provided Boston with a reprieve. However, Charlotte retook the lead by one point through Gordon Hayward’s subsequent midrange jumper. With less than a minute remaining, Tatum executed an unobstructed three-point attempt, and Hayward subsequently added two more with a cut to the rim, tying the game with 28 seconds remaining.

Bridges converted a three-point attempt that Brown failed to attempt, but Brown was unable to do so. Once more, the outcome depended on free throws, and the Celtics were unsuccessful. Tatum, who was called for a three-point shooting violation with an opportunity to tie the game, only converted two of the three freebies in order to fall short.

On Wednesday at 7:30 PM EST, ESPN will broadcast the Boston Celtics’ match against the Milwaukee Bucks, which will feature Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and another significant test for the restructured roster.