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What: Charlotte Hornets (16-15) vs. Boston Celtics (18-13)
When: 6:00 p.m. EST
Where: TD Garden; Boston, MA
How to watch: Fox Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass
A win on Friday night over the Pistons put the Charlotte Hornets back over .500 and gave them the head-to-head tiebreaker over Dwane Casey’s team. It was the third win of the season against Detroit meaning that no matter what they do in their last matchup of the season in April, the Pistons will lose seeding advantages to the Hornets if they are tied in the standings.
The Hornets head on the road to face the Boston Celtics next on the parquet floor. A very talented team led by Brad Stevens - the Celtics were predicted to go to the NBA finals out of the eastern conference in the preseason. However, injuries and a little bit of a struggle beating lottery teams have them at fifth in the east through 31 games. Al Horford should return for this game after being out with a knee injury over the last week or two.
The Celtics have usually owned the head-to-head series with the Hornets over the years, but Charlotte beat the Celtics 122-117 on November 19th. It was the first win over Boston since Aprill 11th, 2016. They’ll be looking for back to back wins against them tonight, but with the Celtics near full strength it’ll be tough to beat this team at home.
The point guard matchup between Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker will be something special. These are two of the best in the game at their position and they can score and create with ease, but the biggest key to this game will be containing the talented Jayson Tatum. He is one of the many great wing players the Celtics have.
After winning seven straight games, Boston has lost three in a row to the Pistons, the Phoenix Suns, and the Milwaukee Bucks. They’ll be looking to get back on track this evening against a Hornets team that is also in need of a win. It should be a fun game tonight at The Garden.