lly in the first half, coming back from an eight-point deficit early in t

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Al Jefferson finally quit thinking about what he wanted to do with the ball on the court, and just started doing it.That showed in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics, as Jefferson scored 11 of his game-high 23 points and the Charlotte Hornets held off a late rally for a 96-87 victory Wednesday night.Kemba Walker added 18 points and Lance Stephenson 13 for Charlotte, which led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter and were up 87-79 with 8:05 left.However, Boston — led by Marcus Thorntons 13 fourth-quarter points — pulled to 87-85 with 4:31 remaining. But Walkers three-point play and back-to-back baskets by Jefferson pushed the Hornets lead back to 94-85 with 1:19 left.We just had to get some stops, said Jefferson, who also had 14 rebounds as Charlotte posted back-to-back wins for the second time this season. We knew they could get hot fast. We just had to step up our defence.This is two games in a row that weve been able to close it out. I was thinking too much in the first half. I just had to be myself and relax, and thats what I did in the second half.Rajon Rondo had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Celtics. Jeff Green and Thornton led Boston with 16 points each, Tyler Zeller scored 13 and Brandon Bass 10.We made a little bit of a run at the start of the fourth (quarter), but we couldnt quite get over the hump, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. We missed some opportunities, and they just played better than us.The Hornets trailed by five points entering the third quarter, but opened the period with an 11-4 run. Gerald Henderson hit a jumper to tie the score at 49-49 with 8:37 left, and his 3-pointer with 7:37 left put Charlotte ahead to stay at 54-51.The Hornets took their biggest lead of the game late in the third quarter, with Walkers jumper with 1:38 remaining capping a 17-8 run for a 71-59 advantage.The Celtics had mounted a similar rally in the first half, coming back from an eight-point deficit early in the second quarter to lead 45-40 at the break.The Hornets were ahead 26-18 on Gary Neals jumper with 11:02 left in the second quarter, but Boston went on a 20-6 run over the next 8 minutes. Rondos jumper with 4:29 remaining gave the Celtics their biggest lead of the half, 38-32.TIP-INSCeltics: Boston shot 21.7 per cent from 3-point range, making just 5 of 23 attempts. However, that wasnt a season low for the Celtics — they made just 1 of 25 against Houston (4.0 per cent) on Nov. 1.Hornets: Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who had missed the last 12 games with a stress reaction in his right foot, finished with nine points and six rebounds in 18 minutes Wednesday.STAT SHEETWhile the Celtics actually made more field goals Wednesday (38 of 87, compared to Charlottes 35 of 84), the Hornets enjoyed a decisive advantage at the free-throw line — 23 of 29, while Boston made just 6 of 10. The Celtics also turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 14 Hornets points.QUOTE OF THE GAMEI think you could tell when you walked into the locker room that guys are happy. I think they know that the way they played tonight was a byproduct of how theyve practiced. You know, after 20 games, theres a lot of groups that dont want to practice three times. They just want to play the games. But our guys were good. They had good practices, and hopefully thatll set a tone for this next stretch of games. — Hornets coach Steve Clifford.IN THE DOG HOUSERookie guard P.J. Hairston didnt dress out for Wednesdays game after taking what Clifford said was an unexcused absence from Tuesdays practice. Clifford said Hairston, the 26th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, would suit up for Fridays game against the Memphis Grizzlies.UP NEXTCeltics: Host New York on Friday.Hornets: At Memphis on Friday. Will Grier Youth Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Duck Calling With several marquee centres available via trade and expected to be available via free agency, the Anaheim Ducks could be primed to be big players in the coming days. Greg Olsen Womens Jersey . LeBron James believes hes a major reason for their early failures. http://www.shoppanthersonline.us/panther...tt-blue-jersey/. - Because they didnt go into Beast Mode, the Seattle Seahawks found themselves in Spin Mode. Greg Little Jersey . Bryce Harper? He also came into Wednesday without a long ball and hadnt driven in a run. He was hitting .160, had nearly three times as many strikeouts as hits and was dropped to seventh in the batting order. Christian McCaffrey Jersey . The Raptors (15-15) posted six road victories last month and have won seven of their last nine games overall. Toronto visits the Washington Wizards on Friday night.The defending World Junior champions have unveiled their selection camp roster for the 2014 tournament in Malmo Sweden. USA Hockey announced 26 invitees Wednesday for its selection camp to be held Dec. 15-18 in Minneapolis. The final 22-man roster will be named Dec. 23. Three players return from the 2013 U.S. roster: Riley Barber, Ryan Hartman and Jon Gillies. In addition to Gillies - aa Calgary Flames draft pick - two prospects drafted by Canadian NHL clubs were invited to camp.dddddddddddd. Ottawa Senators 2013 sixth-round draft pick Quentin Shore and Winnipeg Jets 2013 foruth-rounder Andrew Copp were both among the 26 players named. See the related links for the full selection camp rosters for all 10 competing nations at the 2014 World Junior Championship. ' ' '