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The Celtics journey to Charlotte to tackle the Hornets for the 4th and last sport between them this season. The Celtics lead the sequence 2-1 to date this season. The Celtics received the primary sport 140-129 on October 25 at Charlotte. The Hornets received the second sport 111-102 on January 19 at Boston. The Celtics then received the third sport 113-107 on February 2 at Boston. The Celtics are 70-45 all time vs Charlotte and 32-25 when the video games are performed in Charlotte.
The Celtics have climbed to fifth within the East. They’ve received their final 3 video games and are 8-2 of their final 10 video games. They’re 16-16 on the highway. They’ve received 14 of their final 16 video games. They’re 28-16 in opposition to different Jap Convention groups. They’re half a sport behind 4th place Chicago, 3 video games behind third place Milwaukee, and a pair of.5 video games behind 2nd place Philadelphia. They’re half a sport forward of sixth place Cleveland and 4 video games forward of seventh place Toronto. Each sport is vital because the standings within the East are so shut.
The Hornets are ninth within the East. That they had received 2 video games earlier than dropping to the Nets on Tuesday. They’re 4-6 of their final 10 video games and 16-16 at dwelling. They’re 21-21 in opposition to different Jap Convention groups. With their loss to the Nets on Tuesday, they’ve fallen 1 sport behind eighth place Brooklyn and three video games behind seventh place Toronto. They’re 7 video games behind the Celtics. They’re tied with tenth place Atlanta and 1.5 video games forward of eleventh place Washington.
The Hornets are enjoying on the second night time of again to again video games. They hosted the Nets on Tuesday. They’re simply 1-11 when enjoying on the second night time of again to again video games. The Celtics have had 2 days off and are enjoying in simply their 2nd sport in 6 days. The Hornets had 2 days off earlier than their Tuesday sport in opposition to the Nets. They need to be effectively rested whereas the Hornets could also be fatigued after a tricky sport in opposition to the Nets on Tuesday.
The Celtics are coming off a 3 sport dwelling stand the place they went 3-0. After this sport in Charlotte, the Celtics will return dwelling for video games in opposition to Detroit and Dallas earlier than heading out on a Western highway journey by Golden State, Sacramento, Denver, and Oklahoma Metropolis. The Hornets are finishing a 3 sport dwelling stand and may have 2 video games on the highway in New Orleans after which Oklahoma Metropolis earlier than returning dwelling for a 5 sport dwelling stand.
With Jaylen Brown returning to the Celtics on Sunday after lacking only one sport with an ankle sprain, the Celtics are once more principally wholesome with simply Aaron Nesmith on the harm record with an ankle sprain. For the Hornets, James Bouknight is questionable with a neck harm that has stored him out of 4 straight video games. Gordon Hayward has been out since early February with an ankle harm and is predicted to be out till at the very least March 21.
Possible Celtics Starters
PG: Marcus Sensible
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams III
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Grant Williams
Derrick White
Daniel Theis
Luke Kornet
Sam Hauser
Nick Stauskas
Malik Fitts (10 day)
Kelan Martin (10 day)
Accidents
Aaron Nesmith (ankle) out
Two-Method Gamers
Brodric Thomas
Matt Ryan
Head Coach
Ime Udoka
Possible Hornets Starters
PG: LaMelo Ball
SG: Terry Rozier
SF: Miles Bridges
PF: PJ Washington
C: Mason Plumlee
Hornets Reserves
Montrezl Harrell
Kai Jones
Cody Martin
Jalen McDaniels
Kelly Oubre, Jr
Nick Richards
JT Thor
Isaiah Thomas (10 day)
Accidents
Gordon Hayward (ankle) out
James Bouknight (neck) questionable
Two-Method Gamers
Arnoldas Kulboka
Scottie Lewis
Head Coach
James Borrego
Key Matchups
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Marcus Sensible
Photograph by Omar Rawlings/Getty Pictures
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LaMelo Ball
Photograph by Wealthy Schultz/Getty Pictures
Marcus Sensible vs LaMelo Ball
Ball has been enjoying very effectively in his second season with the Hornets. He’s averaging 19.7 factors, 6.9 rebounds, and seven.3 assists per sport. He’s capturing 42.5% from the sphere and 36.3% from past the arc. He averaged 26 factors, 7 rebounds and 9.3 assists within the 3 video games in opposition to the Celtics this season. He put up 38 factors within the February 2 sport between these two groups. The Celtics have to sluggish him down in the event that they wish to get a win on this sport.
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Jayson Tatum
Photograph by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe by way of Getty Pictures
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Miles Bridges
Photograph by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Pictures
Jayson Tatum vs Miles Bridges
Bridges is averaging 19.7 factors, 7.2 rebounds and three.7 assists per sport this season. He’s capturing 48.0% from the sphere and 30.6% from past the arc. He averaged 17.6 factors, 6.7 rebounds and a pair of.7 assists within the 3 video games in opposition to the Celtics this season. Jayson Tatum has been hitting his stride in latest video games and the Celtics will want him to return up large on each ends of the court docket on this one.
Honorable Point out
Jaylen Brown vs Terry Rozier
Rozier is averaging 19.4 factors, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per sport. He’s capturing 43.8% from the sphere and 37.5% from past the arc. He averaged 25.5 factors, 4.5 rebounds and seven assists within the 2 video games he performed in opposition to the Celtics this season. He missed the primary sport with an harm. He all the time appears to take video games in opposition to the Celtics personally and provides just a little additional effort to attempt to beat his former workforce.
Keys to the Sport
Protection – Protection is all the time a key to profitable video games. The Celtics should proceed to decide to enjoying powerful workforce protection in the event that they hope to win this sport. Protection might be much more vital on this sport as a result of the Hornets common 114.3 factors per sport, which is tops within the league whereas the Celtics common simply 109.6 factors per sport. The Celtics are 2nd within the league with a defensive ranking of 105.6 whereas the Hornets are twenty first with a defensive ranking of 111.9. The Celtics can’t slack off on protection in the event that they hope to beat the Hornets on this sport.
Rebound – A lot of rebounding is effort and hustle. The Celtics have to crash the boards as a workforce and combat for each rebound. The Celtics are third with 46.3 rebounds per sport whereas the Hornets are eleventh with 45.2 rebounds per sport. The Celtics should beat the Hornets to rebounds to offer themselves additional possessions and to maintain the Hornets from getting the identical.
Be Aggressive – The Celtics have to be extra aggressive on the boards, on protection, on going for free balls they usually must be aggressive in going to the basket. Within the video games that the Celtics have misplaced this over this stretch, it was as a result of they weren’t aggressive and allowed their opponents to play more durable than them. They will’t permit the Hornets to play more durable than them. They must be extra aggressive and be the workforce that wishes it extra.
Keep Targeted – The Hornets are 2nd within the league with 19.1 factors off turnovers per sport. In addition they are 2nd with 15.6 quick break factors per sport. The Celtics should keep targeted and make crisp passes and give attention to dealing with the ball with out turning it over. In the event that they get sloppy, the Hornets will make them pay. The Celtics must give attention to taking good photographs and making them they usually should give attention to taking good care of the ball.
X-Elements
Relaxation vs Fatigue – The Celtics have had 2 days off coming into this sport whereas the Hornets are coming off a tricky loss to the Nets the night time earlier than. Will the Celtics relaxation trigger rust or will them come into this sport energized and able to play? Will the Hornets again to again video games trigger them to put on down by the tip of the sport or will they’ve the power to match the Celtics down the stretch?
Former Participant Issue – It all the time appears that former Celtics all the time work more durable to have large video games in opposition to their former workforce. The Hornets at the moment have 3 former Celtics on their roster. With Gordon Hayward out for this one, they’ve Terry Rozier and Isaiah Thomas who will possible be giving just a little additional to indicate their former workforce that they made a mistake letting them go. Isaiah Thomas has particularly tried to get again to the Celtics and can possible wish to present them what they’re lacking.
Officiating – The officiating is all the time an x-factor. Some referees name the sport tight and others allow them to play. Some favor the house workforce and others name it evenly. At occasions, it appears as if a number of the Celtics focus extra on the officiating than they do on enjoying the sport. The Celtics must play by no matter calls go in opposition to them and never permit dangerous calls or no calls to remove their give attention to the sport.
DraftKings
According to our friends at DraftKings, the Celtics are a -7 favourite in opposition to the Hornets on Wednesday. That definitely takes into consideration that Boston hasn’t performed since Sunday’s matinee win over the Brooklyn and Charlotte is on the second night time of a back-to-back in opposition to the identical Nets workforce. Three Hornets starters (Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, and Terry Rozier) all logged over 36 minutes within the loss.
But when historical past serves as a reminder, the earlier Celtics-Hornets have all been pretty aggressive. After the double extra time thriller in Charlotte within the first week of the season, they cut up each video games in The Backyard, most just lately a 113-107 Boston win the place LaMelo Ball scored 38 factors.
Tonight’s sport would seemingly be a toss-up, however the groups are trending in reverse instructions. Earlier than January thirty first, Charlotte had one of many league’s greatest offenses behind the Jazz, Hawks, and Suns, however over their final fifteen video games, they’re 4-11 with the twenty fifth ranked offense. Throughout that very same stretch, the Celtics are averaging 8.4 extra factors per 100 possessions and (say it with me, all people) boast one of the best protection within the NBA.
There’s a trap-ish high quality to this one-game highway journey. After a show it week on the parquet that included wins over the Hawks, Grizzlies, and Nets, the Celtics are feeling themselves heading out of city. After follow on Tuesday, Grant Williams mentioned, “you possibly can’t trip highs or lows. Even now, we don’t view any workforce as greater as the opposite. So, we simply must do our greatest job of holding on to what we do effectively and understanding that irrespective of who we’re enjoying, we’re doing these issues.”
Take a look at DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook companion of SB Nation.
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