CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kelly Olynyk has been pressed into the Boston Celtics' starting lineup the last two games because of injuries to other big men.

The move clearly brought out the best in him.

Olynyk led a balanced attack Wednesday night with 20 points and nine rebounds, and the Celtics cruised to a 102-89 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Olynyk hit 7 of 10 shots from the field and provided the biggest highlight of the game with a thunderous dunk off an offensive rebound on a night when the Celtics never trailed and led by as many as 20 points in the second half.

The 7-foot center has started the last two games in place of injured forward Amir Johnson. Olynyk contributed a team-high 19 points in a win over Minnesota on Monday night.

"When you're starting, you get a lot of opportunities," Olynyk said. "You can make a mistake or two and bounce back and keep playing. Opportunities will come your way and you don't have to force anything. It's different than coming off the bench."

Celtics coach Brad Stevens praised the work of all his big men, but he was especially pleased with Olynyk.

"I thought he did a lot of good things on both ends of the floor," Stevens said. "I think he's improving daily. You can see his work ethic. He works pretty hard. He's got a good confidence about him right now and he's playing well."

The Celtics (16-13) won their second straight and further distanced themselves from a recent three-game losing streak. It was also their second win over the Hornets in a span of 12 days. They had beaten the Hornets 98-93 in Charlotte on Dec. 12.

Boston led by as many as 12 points in the first half and opened the third quarter with a 23-10 run and was never seriously threatened from there.

The Celtics also got 19 points and 12 rebounds from forward Jae Crowder and 18 points each from guards Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas. Forward David Lee scored 10 points and forward Jared Sullinger had 10 rebounds.

"The balance makes us real tough to guard," Olynyk said. "You can't key in on one person when everyone's scoring. Guys are making shots and sharing the ball, and when we do that, we're tough. I think that's the way we have to play."

"Obviously, when we've played like that, we've usually won," Stevens said.

The Hornets (15-13) shot just 35.8 percent from the field and committed 17 turnovers in a woeful offensive night. They have now lost three straight and five of their last six.

"The recurring theme for us when we haven't played well in this stretch has been first-quarter turnovers, which have led to us getting off to really poor starts," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "The same thing happened in Orlando. The same thing happened in Washington. It was the same thing tonight. You can't get past turning the ball over. It leads directly to baskets."

Rookie forward Frank Kaminsky came off the bench to lead the Hornets with a career-high 23 points. Guard Nicolas Batum scored 17 and guards Jeremy Lin and Jeremy Lamb had 12 each. Guard Kemba Walker finished with 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the floor with four turnovers.

"We're committing a lot of turnovers and not getting back on defense," Kaminsky said. "A lot of it is energy and effort plays, things that we were doing earlier in the season. We have to get back to it. We've got to stop turning the ball over and play better defense."

NOTES: The Celtics were without F Amir Johnson (plantar fasciitis) and G Marcus Smart (leg), but C Jared Sullinger returned after missing one game with back spasms. ... Hornets C Al Jefferson served the final game of a five-game suspension for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy. He will be eligible to return for Saturday night's home game against Memphis. ... The Hornets shot a season-worst 34.9 percent from the field in a 102-95 loss at Houston on Monday. ... The Celtics were coming off a 113-99 home win over Minnesota on Monday. ... The Hornets suffered their first loss of the season wearing their white uniforms. They were 6-0 in all white previously. ... The Celtics' starters outscored the Hornets' starters 83-42. ... The Hornets opened a four-game homestand. ... The Celtics play at Detroit on Saturday.