The Celtics face the Charlotte Hornets for the second time in as many days. The Celtics came out on top on Friday, beating the Hornets 124-109. That win gives the Celtics a 5-1 record, with their only loss to the Indiana Pacers in Overtime. Charlotte is 2-3 on the season, beating Houston and Toronto and losing to Atlanta, Miami and Boston.
This is the second meeting between these two teams this season, having beaten the Hornets on Friday. They will close out the series in Boston on April 11 and 13. The Celtics won the series 2-1 last season, Winning their only game in Boston and winning one and losing one in Charlotte. The Celtics are 78-46 overall all time against the Hornets and 37-26 in games played in Charlotte.
The Celtics stood pat for the most part in the off season, bringing back their entire core of players and losing just Svi Mykhailiuk and Oshae Brissett. They added Baylor Scheierman, who was the 30th pick in the draft and signed 2nd round pick, Anton Watson to a 2 way contract. They have also added a couple of chips on their shoulder after a couple of Olympic snubs.
The Charlotte Hornets’ new ownership has been busy in the off season, hiring a new head coach, general manager and team president. Former Celtics assistant coach Charles Lee is the new Hornets head coach. The team drafted French forward Tidjane Salaun 6th and KJ Simpson 42nd. They also signed center Taj Gibson and guard Seth Curry as free agents.
Al Horford missed Friday’s game for rest, but I’m guessing he will be back for this one. They will once again be without Kristaps Porzingis, who is still rehabbing from off season ankle surgery. Jaylen Brown injured his hip in the 3rd quarter of Friday’s game and will be out for this game. I’m taking a wild guess that Jordan Walsh will start, but it’s possible that Sam Hauser could get the start here as well.
The Hornets will be without DaQuan Jeffries who is recovering from a hand injury. Mark Williams is also out as he recovers from a tendon strain in his foot. Neither has played yet this season. Brandon Miller is questionable with a glute injury. Nick Richards injured his shoulder in Friday’s game and is out for this game. I’m not sure who they will start but I’m going to guess Grant Williams.
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jordan Walsh
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Al Horford
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Sam Hauser
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Luke Kornet
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Jaylen Brown (hip) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Hornets Starters
PG: LaMelo Ball
SG: Seth Curry
SF: Josh Green
PF: Miles Bridges
C: Grant Williams
Hornets Reserves
Nick Smith, Jr
Cody Martin
Vasa Micic
Tre Mann
Tidjane Salaun
Taj Gibson
2 Way Players
Moussa Diabate
KJ Simpson
Jared Rhoden
Injuries/Out
DaQuan Jeffries (hand) out
Mark Williams (foot) out
Brandon Miller (glute) questionable
Nick Richards (shoulder) out
Head Coach
Charles Lee
Key Matchups
Jrue Holiday vs LaMelo Ball
Ball has been playing very well this season, averaging 28.5 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 42.7% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. On Friday, he finished with 31 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal while shooting 48% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to try to slow him down a bit more in this game.
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Payton Pritchard
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
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Tre Mann
Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
Payton Pritchard vs Tre Mann
This is a matchup of key subs off the bench who both shoot the 3 very well. Mann is averaging 20.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 44.6% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. Pritchard is averaging 16.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 45.6% from the field and 46.9% from beyond the arc. On Friday, Mann finished with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block while shooting 55.6% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Pritchard had a rare off shooting night but was active on defense. He finished with 7 points on 16.7% shooting from the field and was 0-5 on threes. He also had 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals.
Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs Miles Bridges
Bridges is averaging 15 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1 block per game. He is shooting 39.6% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. On Friday, he finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal while shooting 31.3% from the field and just 20% on threes. He also got frustrated at the end of the game and was ejected.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the key to winning. It was a lack of defense that dug a 23 point hole against the Pacers and it was good defense that got them back into the game and forced overtime. The Celtics are 12th with a defensive rating of 111.5. The Hornets are 30th with a defensive rating of 120.0. The Celtics are 1st in 3 point attempts with 50 while the Hornets are 3rd with 44.8 three point attempts per game. They are tied for 5th in 3 point percentage at 39.3%. The Celtics need to especially guard the Hornets on the perimeter.
Rebound – Rebounding is important to give the Celtics extra possessions and to limit possessions for their opponents. Rebounding takes effort and the Celtics need to give extra effort to beat the Hornets to rebounds. The Hornets are 1st with 21 second chance points per game and the Celtics need to limit those by putting more effort into grabbing rebounds. On Friday, the Hornets had 1 more rebound and 1 more offensive rebound than the Celtics. The Celtics have to work harder on the boards in this one.
Maximum Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics effort for the first 3 quarters against the Pacers left much to be desired, landing them in a 23 point hole. They finally found some energy and effort in the 4th quarter and battled back to force overtime. The Celtics effort in their previous 2 games was good at times and not so good at other times. On Friday, the Celtics upped their effort in the 4th quarter to pull away from the Hornets. The Celtics have to give max effort on the boards and on defense and they have to give that effort for the entire game and not just 1 or 2 quarters.
Bench Play – The Hornets have 3 players off the bench who are shooting over 40% from the perimeter. Tre Mann (20.5 points, 42.9% from three), Cody Martin (11.5 points, 42.1% from three) and Grant Williams (10.3 points, 47.4% from three) The Celtics reserves need to come into the game and play hard on the defensive end to limit their 3 point shooting. They also need to produce on the offensive end.
X-Factors
On The Road and Emotions – The Celtics are playing in their 5th game on the road this season. The Celtics are facing the distractions of travel and a hostile crowd and they can’t allow those distractions to take away from their focus on the game. The end of Friday’s game was emotional with Grant Williams ejected for a flagrant 2, Miles Bridges ejected for 2 technicals and LaMelo Ball assessed a technical. Both coaches also got technicals. The Celtics need to stay calm and not let emotions get in the way of playing the right way.
Coaching – Charles Lee helped to lead the Celtics to their 18th championship as an assistant coach. He is now leading the Charlotte Hornets as their head coach. I am sure these two coaches share some coaching philosophies, including the strategy of shooting a lot of 3’s. Joe Mazzulla win their first meeting. Which coach will come out on top in this one?
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.
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