Coming off a tough home loss to the Jazz, the Boston Celtics make a quick stop in North Carolina to face the Charlotte Hornets tonight. The Celtics are 4-5 SU and 2-7 ATS in nine road games this season but have owned this matchup, winning seven straight games vs the Hornets with an average win margin of 10.4 points per game. The Hornets, on the other hand, lost a tough one to the Sixers in their last game and 60 points from Kemba Walker wasn’t enough to get over the hump.
The Celtics opened as 2.5-point favorites with a total of 217.5.
- The Celtics are 15-4 SU in their last 19 games vs teams with losing records.
- The Hornets are ranked 10th in points per game (115.5).
- The UNDER has hit in 5 of the last 7 games in this matchup.
Celtics vs Hornets Game Center
Boston is Thumping the Bad NBA Teams
After the Celtics got a huge win over the Raptors at home, they looked gassed in their last game vs the Jazz when they could only manage 86 points and shot an ugly 5-for-33 from three-point range. Boston’s defense was still on point by holding the Jazz to 98 points and is ranked third in points allowed per game (102.6).
With the Celtics’ depth on their roster, they have been beating up on teams with losing records as they’ve gone 15-4 SU in their last 19 games in that spot. That has carried over to this matchup with the C’s winning seven straight games (6-1 ATS) over the Hornets by an average margin of 10.4 points per game. Going back even further, the Celtics are 11-1 SU and 10-1-1 ATS in the last 12 games vs the Hornets.
This is why I’m overlooking the Celtics’ poor spread record on the road (2-7 ATS in nine games) because I think this spread is too low and Boston is the better team. Kemba Walker may end up getting his 20-plus points but when their second-leading scorer is Jeremy Lamb, the Celtics should run this team out of the gym.
Hornets’ Scoring Is The Only Bright Spot
At 8-7 SU in 15 games this season, Charlotte has been hit-or-miss to start the season with its only win this season against a team with a winning record coming vs the Pistons, who are 7-6 SU. The Hornets can score the ball when led by Kemba Walker, who is averaging 28.6 points per game and may have had one of the most impressive 60-point games in recent memory by shooting 21-for-34 from the field and 6-for-14 from deep.
With his scoring feat, the Hornets rank 10th in points per game at 115.5 and are ranked ninth in three-point percentage. The only problem with that strategy is the Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA guarding the perimeter, which means the Hornets need to focus on points in the paint, a category in which they rank fourth in the NBA at 54.3 points in seven home games this season.
I’m fading the Hornets in this one because I don’t trust their big men to get the job done against the Celtics’ style of defense and Charlotte can’t seem to put it all together when playing the elite teams in the league. The Hornets are 3-13 SU in their last 16 games vs teams with winning records so they would need an awful effort from Boston to win this one.
Is Another UNDER In Store?
The total opened at 217.5 and the UNDER may be a profitable angle in this tilt. The UNDER has hit in five of the last seven games in this matchup with an average combined score of 205.2 points per game. The Celtics’ defense is holding teams to 102.6 points per game and with the UNDER hitting in five of the Hornets’ last seven games, I think another low-scoring game is on the docket.
My Pick Is…
To take the Celtics to cover the spread. Boston is the better team, has owned this matchup and will be fuming after an ugly home loss to the Jazz. The Hornets are a below-average team in the Eastern Conference and will be lucky to keep this game within 10 points.
