The Boston Celtics went up against the Charlotte Hornets in their third preseason game, in which they walked away with a 114-93 win at TD Garden.

Debut of the double big

This game saw Joe Mazzulla utilise the double big lineup heavily, with Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta playing alongside each other instead of in replacement of each other.

Robinson and Queta both started the second quarter which saw the Celtics outscore the Hornets by 12-3 during the first four minutes of the quarter. Mazzulla then went back to the pair to open the fourth quarter as the Celtics looked to halt the Hornets comeback, as they cut an 18 point Celtics lead to just a 7 point lead.

Both times this lineup was used had a positive effect for the Celtics as they dominated the paint and offensive rebounds allowing for more second chance points to regain their advantage.

Tatum continues to get back to his regular self

This was Jayson Tatum's second preseason game and he continues to give encouraging signs that he can get back to his regular self and regain his status as an All-NBA first team player.

Despite putting up less points against the Hornets he was still impressive as a scorer as he managed to put up 19 points with zero free throws, whilst also having 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in just 29 minutes.

His confidence is what will please the Celtics fans the most as he no longer looks shy to drive to the basket after having a long off season to continue his rehab and recovery further.

Paul George's shot will come

Paul George has struggled in his first two games with his shooting efficiency. As he went 2-10 from the field, also going 1-7 on 3 point shots. This has meant he's shooting 25% from the field and 21.4% from 3 point range across his two preseason games.

George and Celtics fans will be hoping his shooting splits improve throughout the regular season as he becomes more comfortable with the team.

However, despite George's offensive struggles he has excelled on the defensive end. Specifically as a defensive playmaker as he added to his 5 steals against Philadelphia 76ers with a further 2 steals against the Hornets.

But he also creates defensive opportunities for his teammates as he covers passing lanes and knows when to provide help defence to create pressure on the opposing team.

Celtics lost the rebounding battle

After the Celtics dominated the glass in their opening two games many would think this would be a common pattern across Celtics games.

However, they narrowly lost the battle against the Hornets 43-40. As the Hornets used a double big lineup that caused trouble for the Celtics on rebounding.

Despite, losing the battle the Celtics managed to win the offensive rebounding battle as they had 9 to Hornets' 7.

This shouldn't be too much of a concern for Mazzulla and his staff as they have now seen how his team copes when teams use double bigs against his team and he'll now know how to tackle the challenge in order to not lose the battle too often.

The Celtics have also ranked in the top 3 for all rebounding stats over preseason. As they are ranked first for total rebounds, second for defensive rebounds and third for offensive rebounds. So the Celtics have the size and length to cause any team in the league trouble in terms of rebounding, especially for second chance points.