CHARLOTTE — Although most of the main cast of the Celtics lineup sat out Friday night (Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Malcolm Brogdon)– Blake Griffin and Sam Hauser helped big to beat the Charlotte Hornets 112-103.

Hauser, the deep shooting power forward started in the rotation last night and dropped nine points, all three’s. He’s been proving to be a nice and reliable addition for the C’s.

As for Griffin, he was inches away from a double double with seven points and nine rebounds. Griffin also hit a three ball and two assists in the 16 minutes he spent on the floor.

Grant Williams, the guy who I mentioned needs to step up had nine points and six rebounds. Williams played heavy minutes.

The C’s were trailing for the first half, but a 36 point third quarter from Boston helped put them over the top to pass Charlotte.

As for the talented Hornets, LaMelo Ball dropped 23 points and nine assists while former Celtics guard Terry Rozier finished with 18 points. Obviously, the starters didn’t play until the end of the game so it’s tough to get a grasp on what both teams can really do.

But as far the C’s go, the new additions are shining.

Derrick White started once again and finished with 18 points while Payton Pritchard dropped 15. It’ll be interesting to see how those guys will fit in the rotation. Best believe that back court fight will be interesting to see for the next five games of the preseason. I’ll be here to cover that and the development of G. Williams.

Next, the Celtics will play the Raptors next Friday.