Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Game Preview

The Hornets look for their third win in a row as they take on the NBA's best Boston Celtics.

The Hornets face off against last year's Eastern Conference champs, the Boston Celtics in TD Garden at 7:30 PM EST. 

The Celtics are without a doubt the best team in the NBA currently, as they hold a record of 16-4. The Celtics have won their last 12 out of 13 games, with their only loss coming to the Chicago Bulls over that stretch. The Hornets are coming off of two straight wins, which is the first time they've accomplished that feat this season. The Celtics are 9-1 at home this season and they've won their last eight at home. The Hornets are 3-8 on the road and they've lost eight out of nine road games. The Hornets certainly have a tough task ahead of them tonight. 

The Hornets have caught a little bit of fire recently with wins over Philadelphia and Minnesota. It's been a brutal start to the Hornets season as they hold a record of 6-14, but they will never back down. Unfortunately, they will still be without their star point guard LaMelo Ball, who will be out indefinitely with an ankle injury. Although there is no timeline for LaMelo's return, he doesn't look like he's too far away from returning.

The team will also be without Cody Martin, who had surgery a couple weeks ago on his knee. Gordon Hayward recently returned to the lineup, but was ruled out before last game with a "shoulder contusion." After the game, it was reported that Hayward had been diagnosed with a fractured left shoulder and he will be evaluated week-to-week. Terrible news for an already banged up Hornets team, as it sounds like the team will be without the 32-year-old forward for a good amount of time. Dennis Smith Jr was seen in a boot last game on the Hornets' bench, so it doesn't look like he will be returning anytime soon either. Although it hurts the team not having some of their rotational guys out there, it has been beneficial to a couple of the Hornets' bench pieces, including Kai Jones, Theo Maledon, and James Bouknight. Kai Jones had his best performance in his career in Friday's win over Minnesota, as he tallied 9 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes. 

Let's take a look at the Hornets' opponent in Boston.

Boston is coming off of a back-to-back as they defeated Washington last night 130-121. Jaylen Brown tallied 36 points on the night as it was his 13th game with over 25+ points this season. Boston almost fell apart in last night's win over Washington, as they held a 26-point lead at one point in the game, but got outscored 33-17 in the fourth quarter to only win by nine. Boston has been on a roll this season, mostly in part because of the play of Brown and Tatum. Both Brown and Tatum are averaging career-high numbers in points per game. The duo combines for around 56 points per game, which is simply outstanding. However, Boston may be without one of their star players tonight, as Jaylen Brown was added to the injury report with neck stiffness. Jayson Tatum did not play last night, but it appears now that he will be available tonight because he's not listed on the injury report. Al Horford has yet to play on the second night of a back-to-back all season and the Celtics have declared him as out for tonight. The Celtics have a lot of weapons, so even if Brown is unable to go, the Hornets will have their hands full. 

What to watch for:

Terry Rozier against his former team: Terry Rozier has had a rough season for the Hornets shooting the ball and it would be nice for him to have a great performance against his former team. Since joining the Hornets, Rozier has struggled against Boston. In nine contests, Rozier has averaged 16.7 points per game on just 36.6% shooting from the field and 32.4% shooting from three. The Hornets are going to need Terry Rozier to get going against his former team tonight, but he is listed as probable with an illness. 

The bench battle: The Celtics have a lot of depth on the roster and the Hornets have been beaten by role players before. The Celtics average 33.1 bench points per game and the Hornets average 33.6. Winning the battle of the benches is a must for the Hornets in this one. Sam Hauser is a guy that should be on the Hornets radar because in the preseason he gave them trouble. He's also shooting over 45% from three on 4.4 attempts per game. He had 14 points off the bench in the win against Washington. 

Defense: Boston currently leads the NBA in PPG and the Hornets don't have the offensive firepower to match what Boston can do on the offensive side of things. If the Hornets want to pull off a win, they're going to have to play phenomenal defense against a star-studded Boston Celtics squad. 

Injury Report:

CHA:

LaMelo Ball: OUT

Gordon Hayward: OUT 

Cody Martin: OUT

Dennis Smith Jr: OUT

Terry Rozier: PROBABLE

BOS:

Jaylen Brown: QUES

Al Horford: OUT

Danilo Gallinari: OUT

Robert Williams: OUT

KEY NOTES:

CHA:

- 24th in PPG

- 28th in FG%

- 29th in 3PT%

BOS:

- 1st in PPG

- 4th in FG%

- 1st in 3PT%

2022-2023 Team Stats

Points Per Game

CHA: 109.4

BOS: 120.4

Points Allowed

CHA: 114.2

BOS: 113.3

Field Goal Percentage

CHA: 44.4%

BOS: 49.0%

Assists Per Game

CHA: 25.2

BOS: 26.7

Rebounds Per Game

CHA: 45.9

BOS: 41.8

Charlotte's 2022-2023 Active Individual Stat Leaders

Points Per Game: Terry Rozier 20.5 PPG

Assists Per Game: Terry Rozier 5.6 AST

Rebounds Per Game: Mason Plumlee 9.1 REB

Blocks Per Game: Nick Richards 0.9 BLK

Steals Per Game: Kelly Oubre Jr 1.7 STL

Boston's 2022-2023 Active Individual Stat Leaders

Points Per Game: Jayson Tatum 30.5 PPG

Assists Per Game: Marcus Smart 7.1 AST

Rebounds Per Game: Jayson Tatum 7.9 REB

Blocks Per Game: Jayson Tatum 1.2 BLK

Steals Per Game: Jaylen Brown 1.1 STL

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