BOSTON -- Isaiah Thomas hears the "MVP" chants ringing out from the TD Garden crowd on a nightly basis.

They leave him somewhat stunned.

"They're pretty cool. It just doesn't seem real for them to be chanting 'MVP' to me in the Boston Garden," Thomas said after working his latest fourth-quarter magic to lead the Boston Celtics to a 108-98 victory over Charlotte that handed the Hornets their fifth straight loss.

"It's a feeling I can't explain."

He's doing a lot of things that can't be explained.

"There's no surprise. I'd be surprised if he didn't do it," said teammate Kelly Olynyk, who had his second straight strong game off the bench.

"Yeah, he's a special, special player, obviously. I don't know if there's another person in the world doing what he's doing. It's unfathomable to sit there and watch every night.

Thomas warmed up with 18 points in the first three quarters and then turned it on in the fourth.

Boston's little big man, the NBA's leading fourth-quarter scorer at a record (since they started tracking it in 1996) 10.1 points per game, scored 13 of his 17 fourth-quarter points in a span of 4:03. That helped the Celtics (26-15) build a 13-point lead and they then held off the Hornets for their seventh win in their last eight games.

Boston also improved to 13-3 since Thomas returned after missing four games due to a groin strain.

"It says a lot about him and the level he's playing at," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "I think it says a lot about the fact that he's got a lot of skilled guys around him that are hard to leave (in coverage).

"... I truly believe that there's going to be a fourth quarter in the very near future where he has five assists and he takes one or two shots because that's the right basketball play to be made."

Said Thomas: "We've got pretty good shooters on this team, where you've got to pick your poison and we had a lot of spacing in the start of that fourth quarter, which helps me out a lot."

Thomas' 35 points, including two late that came on a long jumper from the right corner with 7-footer Cody Zeller on him, left him at 31.6 points per game in the 16 games.

It was his eighth 15-point fourth quarter of the season and he remains the only player in the league to score 20 points in three fourth quarters.

His last two baskets stymied the Charlotte comeback after the Hornets closed to within four with 2:43 left.

"He's been playing well. He's been playing better than anyone in our league," said Kemba Walker, who led the Hornets with 24 points but was just 8-for-21 from the floor. "He's playing with great confidence and making the plays for his team to win games. He's been great."

Thomas was 7 of 15 from 3-point range, his team going 15 of 39 from behind the arc and winning a game despite taking just 10 free throws, four of them in the final 18.5 seconds.

"He made some terrific plays; he's a terrific offensive player," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said.

The Hornets dropped all five games of their road trip to fall to 20-21 -- 12-18 since an 8-3 start.

"We just have to be ready to play," Walker said. "Tough loss tonight. We just got to learn from our mistakes and prepare for the next one."

Boston's Al Horford scored 22 points and added six rebounds and four assists. Olynyk had 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Jae Crowder contributed 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Marvin Williams had 21 points, Zeller 13 and eight rebounds and Nicolas Batum eight points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Hornets, who are 0-3 against the Celtics this season.

The Celtics outrebounded Charlotte 44-42, improving to 12-0 when tying or leading an opponent in rebounds.

NOTES: Frequent attendee LeGarrette Blount of the Patriots and Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker were at the game. ... Celtics G Avery Bradley, who missed four games with an Achilles strain, returned and played 32:35, with five points (2-for-9 from the floor), three rebounds, three assists and two steals. ... The Hornets were without injured G Jeremy Lamb (inflamed metatarsal). ... Boston C Tyler Zeller missed his seventh straight game because of illness, missing the latest game against his brother, Cody. ... Both teams wore T-shirts honoring Martin Luther King's "Never Stop Dreaming," and Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown addressed the crowd in a moving salute to Dr. King. ... The Hornets open a five-game homestand against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Boston hosts the New York Knicks the same night. Said Hornets coach Steve Clifford: "We've got to get ourselves right."