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The Boston Celtics head to the Spectrum Center to take on the Charlotte Hornets in an Eastern Conference battle on Wednesday night.
Boston is coming off a win over the Brooklyn Nets in a game where Jayson Tatum went off with 54 points. The Celtics have won 14 out of their last 16 games played including their last three. Boston has climbed all the way to the 5th spot in the East and is just 2 games behind the 2nd seeded Philadelphia 76ers and one-half game off the 4th seeded Bulls. They are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played.
Charlotte lost to the Nets on Tuesday night at the Spectrum Center and will be playing the second of a back-to-back schedule against the red-hot Celtics. The Hornets are 9th in the Eastern Conference standings but are just one game behind the 9th seeded Nets. Charlotte is just 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played. With the 11th seeded Washington Wizards just 1.5 games off, Charlotte needs to close out strong should they wish to participate in the play-in tournament.
Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum exploded for 54 points against Brooklyn last Sunday, hitting 16-30 shots including 8-15 from three-point distance. Jaylen Brown added 21 points while Marcus Smart added 14 points and 9 assists and Al Horford contributed 13 points and 7 rebounds. The Celtics shot 17-36 from three-point distance to bury the Nets.
The Celtics rank 17th in the league in scoring at 109.6 points per game this season. Boston is 3rd in rebounding at 46.3 boards grabbed per contest. They are also 16th in passing at 24.0 assists per game and have the NBA’s third-best scoring defense at only 104.1 points per game conceded this season.
Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte saw its two-game winning streak end at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night as Kyrie Irving dropped 50 in a 132-121 win over the Hornets. Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals while LaMelo Ball added 24 points and 7 assists. The Hornets also saw Mile Bridges put up 30 points but these weren’t enough to beat the Irving and the Nets.
The Hornets are the second-highest scoring team in the NBA at 114.3 points per game this season. Charlotte is 11th in rebounding at 45.2 boards grabbed per contest and is 3rd in passing at 27.3 assists per game. They have the league’s 28th ranked scoring defense at 114.6 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
Boston is 14-2 SU in their last 16 games played. The Celtics are 3-1 SU in their last four games played on the road, and 5-0 SU in their last five games against the Southeast division. Charlotte is 4-12 SU in their last 16 games played. The Hornets are 2-9 SU in their last 11 games played at home, 8-12 SU at home against Eastern Conference teams.
Head to head, Boston Celtics have won seven out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
The Hornets won at home last Saturday against the Spurs but were blown out at the Spectrum Center by the Nets on Tuesday. They will be facing a Boston team that has been resting since beating the same Brooklyn Nets team last Sunday.
Charlotte has lost 12 out of its last 16 games and looks nowhere near the team that had a fast start this season and were in the Top 4 during the first month or so of the season. Poor defense and injuries have been the culprit for the Hornets’ struggles and although they are healthier now, they have not been able to turn things around.
Speaking of turning things around, the Celtics have one of the most dramatic in-season turnarounds we’ve seen in years. Boston went from 18-21 to 29-27 behind a defense that is now the best in the league. The Celtics also allow the third-fewest points per game this season. I think Boston’s defense stops Charlotte’s offense while the Hornets’ porous defense isn’t going to slow down Jayson Tatum and the Celtics.
Prediction: Boston Celtics
Other Bets to Make
The Celtics are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. Boston is 12-10 ATS in 22 games against the Eastern Conference, 11-6 ATS in their last 17 games as road favorites, 4-1 ATS in their last five road games against an opponent with a winning home record, 5-0 ATS in their last five road games against an opponent from the Southeast Division, and just 7-20 ATS in their last 27 Wednesday games.
Charlotte is 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 Wednesday games and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games played in March. However, the Hornets are 2-5-2 ATS in their last nine games as betting underdogs, 2-6-2 ATS in their last 10 games against an opponent with a winning straight up record, 1-4-1 ATS in their last six games as home underdogs, 1-4 ATS in their last five games when playing on zero days rest, and just 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 home games.
Head to head, the Celtics are 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 meetings against the Hornets. Boston is also 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games played in Charlotte.
Celtics
-7.5 (-110)
Hornets
+7.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 03/09/2022
In their last 10 games, the Celtics have outscored the Hornets by an average of 6.3 points per game. These teams have played thrice this season: Charlotte lost in OT by 11 points in their first meeting then beat Boston by nine in their second encounter. The Celtics beat the Hornets by six in their most recent matchup last February 2.
The Hornets are the number 2 scoring team in the NBA but Boston has the 3rd best scoring defense in the league and the best defensive rating in the NBA this season. Seven out of the Celtics’ last eight wins have been by nine points or more and with the way Tatum has been playing offensively during the last month and a half, Charlotte’s defense won’t be able to contain the Celtics.
Both these teams haven’t been terrific against the spread. But I will take the team that is playing better right now and coincidentally, they are also the well-rested team here. I’ll lay the points and go with the Celtics.
Prediction: Boston Celtics -7.5
The total has gone over in six out of the Celtics’ last eight games played. The over is 4-0-1 in Boston’s last five games played on the road, 6-1-1 in their last eight games as betting favorites, 4-0-1 in their last five games as road favorites, and 5-2 in their last seven games against an opponent with a losing straight up record. However, the under is 6-2 in their last eight games when playing on two days rest, and 10-4 in their last 14 Wednesday games.
The total has gone under in seven out of the last eight games of the Hornets as betting underdogs. The under is 5-1 in their last six Wednesday games, 16-5 in their last 21 games as underdogs, 9-3 in their last 12 games against the Eastern Conference, 6-2 in their last eight games against the Atlantic Division, and 7-3 in their last 10 games played at home.
Head to head, the total has gone under in two out of the last three meetings between these two teams.
Over
225.5 (-110)
Under
225.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 03/09/2022
These teams have combined to average only 221.3 points per game in their last 10 head-to-head meetings including 220 points last February 2nd.
The Hornets are the 2nd highest-scoring team in the NBA and have scored 120+ points four times in their last six games played but the Celtics have the league’s 3rd best scoring defense and its best defensive rating. The Celtics have allowed 107 or fewer points in seven out of their last 10 games played and limited the Hornet to just 107 points in their most recent meeting.
There’s a good chance that this becomes a high-scoring game if the Celtics blow the Hornets out early. However, given how Boston has been successful this season, look for the Celtics to limit Charlotte’s scoring average and score just enough points to win the game and cover the betting spread. This could end in a blowout but most likely, the Celtics will cruise to a comfortable win while giving their main players enough rest.
Prediction: Under 225.5
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