Game Keys: Celtics 122, Hornets 106

The Boston Celtics sleepwalked through the first 20-plus minutes of Saturday’s game with Charlotte before Rob Williams snapped them out of their slumber.

Williams used his elite energy in the final three-plus minutes of the first half to wake up the C’s after they fell behind by as many as 16 points. Just 12 seconds into one possession, Williams picked up an offensive rebound, assisted on another and then grabbed another before laying home a one-and-one to put the Boston faithful on their feet.

That one possession really seemed to spark the C’s back as they continued to dominate the rest of the quarter and throughout the game. Jayson Tatum hit a home run, then hit a 3-pointer, and then Malcolm Brogdon nailed a triple for a 10-0 Celtics lead with just 1:27 to play.

That run cut a 15-point deficit to five, and the C’s cut it to four by halftime.

Just like that, within minutes, Charlotte blew its chance to put Boston away, and the Celtics rode the momentum.

Boston carried that momentum into the second half and regained the lead at 73-72 at the 7:24 mark of the third period. The Celts led the rest of the way, eventually leading by as many as 18 points en route to a 122-106 victory.

Al Horford quietly put together what might be his best all-around stats of the season Saturday night in Charlotte.

Horford, playing nearly 33 minutes, had 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals and helped Boston outscore Charlotte by 11 points when he was on the floor. His 16 points were his most since grabbing 17 rebounds on Dec. 23, and his six assists tied a season high.

The big man also had an efficient shooting night while scoring 16 points. He made six of his 10 shots overall, including 4-for-7 from long range. He is now shooting 44.1 percent overall from long range on the season.