The Boston Celtics (39-16, 21-7 Home), one of the league’s top scoring teams, welcome the Charlotte Hornets (15-41, 8-24 Away) on Friday. Charlotte dropped their last game against the Washington Wizards 118-104 at Capital One Arena on Wednesday, their fifth loss in a row. PJ Washington had a standout performance in the loss with 20 points. The Hornets are 14th in the Eastern Conference.
Boston got the win on Wednesday at TD Garden, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 106-99. Derrick White had 19 points and six rebounds to lead the team. The Celtics are the first seed in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks. The teams are meeting for the last time this season.
After taking each of the three previous season games against Charlotte, the most recent of which was a 130-118 victory at Spectrum Center on January 16, their fifth straight head-to-head victory, Boston will be pursuing a season sweep. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 51 points and nine rebounds.
Jalen McDaniels had 26 points in defeat. The Hornets have been led this season by Terry Rozier, who is averaging 21.7 points per game. Rozier also has dished 5.0 assists per game. Meanwhile, Mason Plumlee is grabbing 9.7 rebounds.
Tatum (30.6 ppg) and Jaylen Brown (26.5) have been the primary providers for the Celts on offense. Tatum ranks sixth in the NBA. Tatum also has pulled down 8.7 rebounds per game. Marcus Smart has doled out 7.2 assists per game.
The Celtics are averaging 117.4 points per game, ranking as one of the most explosive offenses in the NBA (5th). The Hornets are only 1-9 in their last 10 visits to TD Garden. Charlotte has dropped six in a row away from Spectrum Center this season.
In the last 10 games, Charlotte is 3-7 with an average margin of -7.6 (109.6-117.2). Boston has a 6-4 record over the last 10, scoring 111.2 points per game on average while holding opponents to 107.4 (+3.8 margin). The Celtics are averaging 117.4 ppg for the full season while allowing 111.4.
HORNETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Rebounds per game:
LaMelo Ball: 8.0 | 5.7 | +2.3
Assists per game:
Terry Rozier: 3.4 | 5.0 | -1.6
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Derrick White: 28.0 | 17.7 | +10.3
Points per game:
Derrick White: 17.8 | 10.9 | +6.9
Al Horford: 5.5 | 9.1 | -3.6
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics -11.5 (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
