BOSTON -- Less than two minutes into Friday night's game at TD Garden, Kyrie Irving took a shot to the mouth from teammate Aron Baynes, leaving the game with a slight facial fracture and leaving the Celtics without all three of their new Big Three.
They fell behind by 18 in the first half and again in the third quarter, but then found a way to win their 11th game in a row, pulling out a 90-87 victory of a Charlotte team clearly affected by a raucous crowd during an 11-point fourth quarter.
Tweeted Gordon Hayward, who was lost for the season in his first quarter with his new team: "Incredible effort tonight from everyone on the squad!