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The Charlotte Hornets (15-41) visit the Boston Celtics (39-16) on Friday night! Action tips off at 7:40 p.m. ET. Below we continue our NBA odds series with a Hornets-Celtics prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Charlotte has lost five straight games and sits in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets covered 43% of their games while 52% went under the projected point total. Boston has won two consecutive games and remains in first place in the East. The Celtics covered 53% of their games while 53% went under. This will be the fourth and final meeting between the conference foes. Boston has won each of the prior matchups by double-digits.
Here are the Hornets-Celtics NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Hornets-Celtics Odds
Charlotte Hornets: +11 (-112)
Boston Celtics: -11 (-108)
Over: 226 (-110)
Under: 226 (-110)
How To Watch Hornets vs. Celtics
TV: ESPN, Bally Southeast, NBCS Boston
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT
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Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread
Charlotte remains in the cellar of the Eastern Conference. Firmly in tank mode, the Hornets feature a bottom-ten offense and defense. That being said, they have been frisky on the offensive end and that is their best avenue to cover tonight. The Hornets love to get out on the fast break and get easy baskets. Charlotte averages 15.5 fast break points per game – seventh in the league. Despite not having a dominant big man, the Hornets take a majority of their shots at the rim and thus rank sixth with 55 points in the paint per game. They are surprisingly strong on the offensive glass as well, ranking in the top ten in offensive rebound rate.
Charlotte was a big seller at the trade deadline, shipping away big man Mason Plumlee and forward Jalen McDaniels. That being said, the Hornets still have a pair of strong offensive guards who could easily propel them to cover against a banged-up Boston team. LaMelo ball leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 23.1 PPG and 8.0 APG. A nightly triple-double threat, Ball also chips in 5.9 RPG. He has developed into an absolutely lethal shooter from beyond the arc, averaging 3.9 made threes per game while shooting 36% from deep. Additionally, Ball is averaging 28 PPG and 7.5 APG in two prior meetings with the Celtics – showing he is well-equipped to deal with Boston's elite defense.
While Ball gets most of the attention, two-guard Terry Rozier has been nearly as impressive this season. Rozier averages 21.7 PPG and 5.0 APG. Similarly to Ball, Rozier is a high-volume three-point shooter with an average of 2.7 made threes per game. While he has struggled somewhat in two prior matchups with the Celtics this season, expect him to see a lot more success with Boston potentially missing a number of key pieces tonight.
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
Boston continues to be one of the best teams in the NBA thanks to their elite two-way play. The Celtics rank fifth in both scoring with 117.4 PPG and points allowed with 111.4 Opp. PPG. In addition to holding the largest average scoring margin in the league, Boston is an above-average rebounding team. The Celtics do a lot well on the offensive but their most impressive attribute is their outside shooting. Boston ranks second in made threes per game in addition to ranking in the top ten in three-point field goal percentage.
While the Celtic are certainly the better team on paper, they face a ton of question marks tonight considering all five starters are on the injury report. While Jaylen Brown is definitely out, the big question mark lies with Jayson Tatum. Tatum is dealing with an illness and his status is seriously in doubt with a huge game looming on Sunday afternoon.
While Tatum's status is up in the air, guards Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon should be good to go. Both guards have been solid this season. Brogdon serves as Boston's third-leading scorer and has been especially effective against the Hornets. Having played in all three prior meetings, Brogdon averaged 22.3 PPG against Charlotte while shooting 64%. Coming off a 19-point performance on Wednesday, he should continue to see a big offensive load tonight.
Boston's X-factor is Derrick White. White is playing his best ball of the season right now as he is averaging 17.8 PPG and shooting 44% from three over his last five games. Like Brogdon, White should continue to see an expanded usage rate with all of the Celtics' injuries.
Final Hornets-Celtics Prediction & Pick
Boston has played Charlotte three times already and has yet to win by less than 12 points. Don't play this game until Tatum's status is announced, but regardless of where the line ends up, I think the Celtics should run away with this one.
Final Hornets-Celtics Prediction & Pick: Boston Celtics -11 (-108)
