We have an exciting Easter Sunday matchup on our hands as the Charlotte Hornets travel to Beantown to take on the Boston Celtics. This will be the first matchup between these teams in 2021. Boston dominated the season series with a three-game sweep of the Hornets last year. The Celtics have regressed in a horrible fashion in 2021, currently sitting behind Charlotte in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics have had a rollercoaster season to this point and will be looking to string together back-to-back wins for the first time in what feels like a century. Both teams enter this affair coming off of impressive victories on Friday night. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Hornets-Celtics prediction and pick.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Hornets-Celtics odds.
NBA Odds: Hornets-Celtics Odds
Charlotte Hornets +9 (-110)
Boston Celtics -9 (-110)
Over 217 Points (-110)
Under 217 Points (-110)
Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread
The Charlotte Hornets haven't skipped a beat since losing their star point guard LaMelo Ball to a fractured wrist. They have strung together some impressive victories and continue to fly under the radar as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. They received some very unfortunate news on Friday night, as Gordon Hayward has suffered a sprained foot and will be out for the better part of a month. Before exiting the game, Hayward had registered 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in 19 minutes against the Indiana Pacers. Hayward will be missed for the Hornets.
Don't get it twisted, this Charlotte team is still loaded with talent and depth. In the win against Indiana, Charlotte saw a promising performance from young talent, Miles Bridges. Bridges picked up the slack for his club with 23 points and 10 rebounds. He and five other Hornets players scored in double figures en route to an easy win over the Pacers. Now being forced to play without their two best players, Charlotte will continue to look for contributions down the roster and claw their way to victories with their defensive prowess. The Hornets have held their last three opponents to an average of 104 points per game.
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
The Boston Celtics pulled off a huge victory against the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Celtics fans can take a huge sigh of relief, as their squad has not looked good of late. They received some huge contributions from players that have struggled to get it going. Big man Robert Williams had a breakout performance with 20 points on 9-for-9 shooting. He also added nine rebounds and eight assists in a near triple-double. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continued to be great, registering 26 and 22 points, respectively. Evan Fournier had his coming out party with the C's, adding 23 points on seven made three's.
Boston is praying that this win will add some confidence and momentum going forward. Sure it came against the worst team in the league, but the Celtics players just needed to remember what putting the ball in the bucket looks like.
They have been trying to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference, and are now playing desperate basketball. Good teams in this spot typically put more of an emphasis on the defensive end, hoping it'll create higher percentage looks for struggling shooters. If emerging center Robert Williams can continue his recent dominance against a Hornet team that struggles in the paint, the Celtics will be in a good spot to pick up another big win.
Final Hornets-Celtics Prediction & Pick
I have a huge problem with this line. Either the market is disrespecting the competency of the Hornets, or it's overreacting to a Boston win against the Rockets. Maybe they see the loss of Hayward being extremely detrimental to a Charlotte team that currently sits above the Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings.
Whatever the case may be, I don't see any reason for this game to be separated by nine points. The Hornets are the much deeper team and until Boston can find some life from its bench, I'm taking Charlotte every time in this spot. They are 4-1 ATS in their last five as an underdog and their last five on the road.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: BOS 104 – CHA 99 (CHA +9)
FINAL PICK: Charlotte Hornets +9 (-110)
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