The Celtics shut out their 6 recreation street journey with a cease in Charlotte to tackle Grant Williams and the Charlotte Hornets. They’re 3-2 to this point on the journey, beating Detroit, Chicago, and New Orleans and dropping twice to Atlanta. That is the 2nd of three video games between these two groups this season. The Celtics misplaced the primary recreation 118-121 in OT on November 20 at Charlotte. They may meet a third time on April 12 in Boston.
The Celtics gained the collection 4-0 final season, profitable 2 at dwelling and a pair of on the street. They’re 75-46 general all time in opposition to Charlotte and they’re 35-26 all time in video games performed in Charlotte. The Hornets are enjoying within the second of again to again video games. They hosted the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. The Hornets are 3-10 on the second night time of again to again video games.
The Celtics stay 1st within the East, 11 video games forward of 2nd place Milwaukee, 13.5 video games forward of third place Cleveland, 14 video games forward of 4th place New York, 15 video games forward of fifth place Orlando, and 16.5 video games forward of sixth place Indiana. They’re 26-13 on the street and 8-2 of their final 10 video games. They’re 38-9 in opposition to Japanese Convention groups and are coming off a win of their final recreation.
The Hornets are thirteenth within the East, 4.5 video games forward of 14th place Washington and 5.5 video games forward of fifteenth place Detroit. They’re 5 video games behind twelfth place Toronto and 15.5 video games behind tenth place Atlanta and a spot within the play in video games. They’re 10-25 at dwelling and 3-7 of their final 10 video games. They’re 11-36 in opposition to Japanese Convention groups and have misplaced their final 2 video games.
The Celtics are enjoying within the sixth and ultimate recreation of their street journey. They’re 3-2 to this point on the journey, beating Detroit, Chicago and New Orleans and dropping 2 video games to Atlanta. After this recreation in Charlotte they’ll return dwelling for 3 video games in opposition to Oklahoma Metropolis, Sacramento, and Portland. Then it’s one recreation on the street in Milwaukee earlier than ending the season at dwelling in opposition to New York, Charlotte and Washington.
The Hornets are enjoying within the 4th recreation of an 8 recreation dwelling stand. They’re 1-2 to this point, beating Cleveland and dropping to Golden State and the Clippers. They may shut out the house stand in opposition to Portland, Orlando, Oklahoma Metropolis, and Dallas. They may then end out the season on the street in opposition to Atlanta, Boston and Cleveland.
Jaylen Brown was seen shaking his hand in Saturday’s recreation and in addition slipped at one level and hit his knee on the courtroom. He’s listed as questionable for this recreation with a sprained left hand. Kristaps Porzingis can also be listed as questionable resulting from proper hamstring harm administration. Jaden Springer is questionable with a knee harm. JD Davison is out with an ankle harm.
I’m guessing that Brown and Porzingis will likely be held out of this recreation as a precaution with huge video games in opposition to Oklahoma Metropolis and Sacramento developing. I’ll guess that Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser get the beginning on this recreation. After all it’s onerous to inform what they’ll do presently of 12 months. I undoubtedly wouldn’t have imagined the beginning lineup with Tatum, Brown, Hauser, Horford and Porzingis so who is aware of who they’ll begin on this one.
For the Hornets, LaMelo Ball hasn’t performed since Jan. 26 resulting from a left ankle harm and can miss the remainder of the season. Seth Curry Curry hasn’t performed since March 1 resulting from a proper ankle sprain and is out for the remainder of the season. Cody Martin has additionally been dominated out for the remainder of the season with an ankle harm. Mark Williams has been out since Dec. 8 and can miss this recreation. Aleksej Pokusevski is questionable with an sickness.
Possible Celtics Starters
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PG: Jrue HolidaySG: Derrick WhiteSF: Sam HauserPF: Jayson TatumC: Luke Kornet
Celtics ReservesOshae BrissettAl HorfordSvi MykhailiukPayton PritchardJordan WalshJaden SpringerXavier Tillman
2 Method PlayersJD DavisonDrew PetersonNeemias Queta
Accidents/OutJaylen Brown (hand) questionable Jaden Springer (knee) questionableKristaps Porzingis (hamstring) questionable JD Davison (ankle) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Possible Hornets Starters
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PG: Vasa MicicSG: Tre MannSF: Brandon MillerPF: Miles Bridges C: Nick Richards
Hornets Reserves Davis BertansBryce McGowens Nick Smith, Jr JT Thor Grant Williams
2 Method PlayersAmari BaileyLeaky Black Marques Bolden
Accidents/Out LaMelo Ball (ankle) out Cody Martin (knee) out Seth Curry (ankle) outMark Williams (again) out Aleksej Pokusevski (sickness) questionable
Head CoachSteve Clifford
Key Matchups
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Jayson Tatum vs Miles Bridges Bridges is averaging 21.1 factors, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1 steal per recreation. He’s capturing 46% from the sphere and 34.7% from past the arc. He has been a vibrant spot in an in any other case very forgettable season.
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Sam Hauser vs Brandon Miller Miller is averaging 16.9 factors, 4.3 rebounds and a pair of.4 assists per recreation. He’s capturing 43.5% from the sphere and 37.1% from past the arc. After all, Jaylen Brown may begin right here as an alternative of Hauser or who is aware of who else may begin right here. If Tatum may begin on the level, I’m not eliminating something.
Honorable MentionLuke Kornet vs Nick Richards Richards is averaging 9.8 factors, 8.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per recreation. He’s capturing 68.8% from the sphere and has not hit any 3 pointers. It’s only a guess that Kornet will begin right here nevertheless it could possibly be Al Horford or it could possibly be Porzingis, who’s simply questionable and never listed as out as but. Or, it could be Xavier Tillman. At this level of the season, I actually don’t know.
Keys to the GameDefense – Protection is all the time a key to profitable. It was a scarcity of protection that misplaced the two video games in opposition to Atlanta and it was good protection that received them again on observe in opposition to the Pelicans. The Celtics are third with a defensive score of 110.7. The Hornets are twenty eighth with a defensive score of 118.9. The Hornets are twenty ninth in scoring with 106.2 factors per recreation. The Celtics are 1st in 3 level makes an attempt with 42.4 and 2nd in 3 level proportion at 39.0%. The Hornets are seventeenth with 33.6 three level makes an attempt per recreation and twenty sixth in 3 level proportion at 34.9%. The Celtics have to particularly guard the Hornets within the paint and the mid-range.
Rebound – The Celtics can’t rating in the event that they don’t have the ball, and one of the best ways to get the ball is the seize rebounds. The Celtics are 2nd within the league with 46.4 rebounds per recreation whereas the Hornets are final with 40.7 rebounds per recreation. The Celtics have to put out additional effort on the boards and after they do, that effort normally interprets to the remainder of their recreation. They will’t enable the Hornets to out rebound them as they did the Hawks.
Don’t Underestimate – The Hornets are shorthanded with 5 gamers both out or questionable. They’ve gained simply 18 of their 73 video games to this point. It will be simple for the Celtics to return in anticipating a straightforward win and never giving their greatest effort. Nonetheless, certainly one of their 18 wins was over the Celtics. The Celtics have to start out robust and play onerous all through the sport. They will’t anticipate to win, even in opposition to a depleted staff that isn’t enjoying nicely, in the event that they don’t play onerous and provides it their all.
X-Elements On the Street and Fatigue – The Celtics are on the street for the sixth straight recreation away from TD Backyard. They’re enjoying within the ultimate recreation of a street journey, which is usually the hardest to win. They should get previous the distractions of journey and enjoying in entrance of a hostile crowd. They’ve to focus on enjoying the suitable means and ignore all of the distractions. All of the journey and enjoying quick handed in a number of of the video games might imply that fatigue comes into play down the stretch.
Officiating – Officiating is all the time an x-factor. Some officers name the sport tight and name each little little bit of contact. Others allow them to play and permit each groups to be bodily. Some refs give the house staff the good thing about the calls whereas others favor the street staff or name it even. Some refs simply make head scratching calls. The Celtics have to focus on enjoying their recreation and never enable dangerous calls and no calls to remove from their give attention to enjoying.
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