Knueppel scores 20, Hornets beat Celtics 118-89 to earn 6th straight win, move above .500

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BOSTON (AP) — Kon Knueppel scored 20 points and the Charlotte Hornets extended their win streak to six games with a a 118-89 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball each added 18 points. Coby White finished with 17 points and six assists to help Charlotte (32-31) move above .500 for the first time since Oct. 26.

The Hornets never trailed and led by as many as 29 points while committing only five turnovers.

Derrick White led the Celtics with 29 points. Jaylen Brown added 20 points and 11 rebounds as Boston’s win streak was stopped at three games.

The Celtics (41-21) came out sluggish playing in their sixth game in nine days, shooting just 38% (30 of 79) from the the field and committing 16 turnovers that led to 21 Charlotte points. Boston also was mostly cold from the 3-point line, connecting on only 10 of 36 attempts

Despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Hornets sprinted out to an 8-0 lead as the Celtics missed their first eight shots.

Boston’s shooting issues continued into the second quarter, dipping as low as 25% at one point. Charlotte, which turned the ball over only twice in the first half, took advantage and built a 64-43 halftime lead.

Hornets: Host Miami on Friday.

Celtics: Host Dallas on Friday.

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