LaMelo Ball and Hornets look for revenge versus Boston

The Hornets are aiming to steal a win from the defending champs.

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

INJURY REPORT:

CHARLOTTE: OUT - Mark Williams (L Foot), DaQuan Jeffries (R Hand), TBD - Brandon Miller (L Glute), Nick Richards (R Shoulder Soreness), Josh Green (L Achilles Soreness)

BOSTON: OUT - Kristaps Porzingis (Foot), TBD - Al Horford (Rest)

GAME PREVIEW:

The Hornets are coming off of a tough loss to the Celtics on Friday night but have a chance to win the second game of the back-to-back between the two teams. There was controversy in the Hornets' loss as the Celtics shot 23 free throws in the fourth quarter to the Hornets three free throws.

One of the few struggles for LaMelo Ball this season has been his fouling issues and his turnover problem. Ball fouled out in Friday night's game versus the Celtics, which makes it two of the five games thus far that he has fouled out. Hornets will need Ball to take better care of the rock and stay out of foul trouble if they want to a chance to defeat the defending champs.

The Hornets have continued their excellent shooting this season as they recorded their third game of 19 made three-pointers or more on Friday night. Ball has been a huge factor in those numbers as he's currently tied for third in the NBA in total three-pointers made with 24.

Tre Mann has continued his exceptional play, as he recorded another 20-point game versus Boston. Mann has been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA and currently looks like a strong runner for Sixth Man of the Year. He is currently second on the team in scoring, averaging 21 points per game.

One of the important things to note is the injury report, as there are a lot of unknowns regarding the statuses of Josh Green, Brandon Miller, and Nick Richards. Green has been dealing with an Achilles injury, and the Hornets have been playing it safe, which means he could sit out the back-to-back. Miller could've played Friday, but It seemed the Hornets wanted him to play the second night of the back-to-back. Richards suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter last night and did not return, so his status is in question.

Boston currently leads the NBA in points per game with a staggering 125.5 points per game. If the Hornets want any chance of defeating the Celtics, they'll have to limit Boston's opportunities and corner threes. Boston also leads the NBA in threes made with 19.7 per game, but the Hornets are right there with them as they're third in the NBA with 17.6.

KEY MATCHUP: Jayson Tatum vs. Miles Bridges

Jayson Tatum has had his fun with the Hornets over the years and it's time for Charlotte to put an end to it in tonight's matchup. Tatum has averaged 33.7 points,7.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists while shooting over 51% from the field in his last 10 games against the team. However, one of the biggest challenges while guarding Tatum is the inability of being able to double him since they have so many other capable shooters and offensive weapons.

With all that in mnd, the Hornets need Miles Bridges to be locked in on both sides of the ball and put together a complete game. Bridges has had a very noticeable rough start to the season as it appears he's been looking to find his role.

He's averaging a shockingly low 14.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on low shooting percentages of 37.7% from the field and under 24% from three. Bridges was also ejected in Friday's contest, which should give him more motivation to have an impactful game. The Hornets will need Bridges to contain Tatum while having a bigger production game to have any chance of an upset versus a terrific Boston team.

PREDICTED STARTING LINEUPS

POSITION	Charlotte Hornets	Boston Celtics
PG	LaMelo Ball	Jrue Holiday
SG	Cody Martin	Derrick White
SF	Brandon Miller	Jaylen Brown
PF	Miles Bridges	Jayson Tatum
C	Grant Williams	Al Horford

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