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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Gordon Hayward finally returned to action Friday night.
Hayward scored 10 points in his first match in nearly a year for the Boston Celtics, who fell to the Charlotte Hornets 104-97 at the opening night of the NBA pre-season calendar.
"It's really a good thing to get rid of that," said Hayward. "I did not feel like playing my best basketball, but I was having fun there and it was good to be back with the guys." have certainly had good times, bad ones. "
This was Hayward's first time in a match since Oct. 17, when he broke his left leg shin and dislocated his ankle about five minutes from the Celtics regular season opener in Cleveland.
"I spent a lot of time last year, so just to be in front of the fans, play with my teammates, there were times when I did not know if I was going to be able to do it. So it was definitely a win, "said Hayward.
Hayward's first points came when he grabbed an offensive rebound early in the first quarter and scored easily. He finished 2-in-7 from the field, playing around 23 minutes.
"The one who cut the rim, I would have usually dunked that one.I tried to get on my leg and I just did not have it, I guess," Hayward said. "So, I think that sort of thing is going to come back, this little explosion.I'm sure of that.It was just the speed of the game, just the crowd, it's something to which I have to m & rsquo; To get used to it. "
Kyrie Irving played for the first time since March 11, when her 2017-18 season ended with a knee problem. He finished with nine points. But the night was also important because he was finally able to play in North Carolina.
Irving played his only college season at Duke in 2010-2011, but was limited to 11 games per season and never played against Tar Heels, the Blue Devils' biggest rival. Friday's game was held in front of a crowd of more than 18,000 at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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