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Tatum powers Celtics past Hornets for 40th win of season
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Charlotte have lost their last six games

Jayson Tatum had 41 points, four rebounds and four assists to lift the Boston Celtics past the Charlotte Hornets 127-116 for their 40th win of the season on Friday night.

The Celtics have won five of its last six overall and swept the season series with the Hornets 4-0. Charlotte have lost their last six games.

It was Tatum’s eighth game this season with 40 or more points as he began the fourth quarter on the bench but was reinserted after Charlotte cut Boston’s lead to 14 points with 7:03 to play.

He ran his minutes total to 37 minutes to do it on what was an otherwise light night of work for the MVP contender.

Derrick White poured in carrier-high 33 points and Robert Williams grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds. Boston shot 49.4 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from long distance during the win.

The game also saw the debut of the Celtics’s newly acquired big man Mike Muscala after he was added at Thursday’s trade deadline in a deal with Oklahoma City for Justin Jackson and a pair of future second-round draft picks.

Muscala checked in for the first time at the 3:30 mark of the first quarter and netted his first points as a Celtic less than two minutes later when he connected on a 3-pointer from the wing.

He finished with 12 points off the bench on 4-for-8 shooting from distance.

Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 27 points and LaMelo Ball finished with 24 points and 10 assists.

The Hornets trailed by 28 in the third quarter before closing period on 15-3 run.

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