Game Preview: Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics
Injury Report
Hornets: OUT: Terry Rozier (Groin), James Bouknight (Knee), Cody Martin (Knee), Frank Ntilikina (Tibia), Nick Richards (Concussion)
Celtics: NONE
Game Preview: The Hornets are on a four-game losing streak entering tonight's game and desperately need a win to keep the season alive. They face a loaded Celtics team off a back-to-back at home and get a chance to catch them off guard on a night they might not be fully dialed in. The Celtics are coming off a slow, down-to-the-wire game against Memphis where they edged out a two-point win behind a 26-point performance by Kristaps Porzingis. The Hornets are going to have to locked in on defense and try their best to contain Jayson Tatum who coincidently will be playing Charlotte on a Monday night on League Pass after he mentioned Charlotte in a speech to teenagers at Jordan Camp.
All jokes aside, Charlotte needs their players to step up and support LaMelo Ball. Melo is on the best scoring stretch of his career averaging 31.4 points in his last 7, but the Hornets are 1-6 during that stretch. LaMelo's scoring is impressive, but it means nothing to him and the Hornets if it doesn't result in wins. This team entered the season with goals of being a playoff team. In order to get somewhere the Hornets will need more from guys like Gordon Hayward and PJ Washington who have combined for 12 points on 4-29 shooting.
Key Matchup: Brandon Miller versus Jayson Tatum
Brandon Miller is coming off of a career-night against the Knicks where he scored 29 PTS on 10-15 shooting. The 20-year-old will have a tough matchup tonight against a physical Celtics team with Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum likely guarding him.
Brandon Miller and Tatum are similar in a lot of ways both being 6'8", long & athletic wings who are dynamic shooters and can create their own shot off the bounce. They both also grew up modeling parts of their game after Paul George.
This should be a good test and fun matchup for Brandon Miller playing against Tatum at the height of his career & getting to see where he's at.
| Position | Charlotte Hornets | Boston Celtics |
|---|---|---|
PG | LaMelo Ball | Jrue Holiday |
SG | Brandon Miller | Derrick White |
SF | Gordon Hayward | Jaylen Brown |
PF | PJ Washington | Jayson Tatum |
C | Mark Williams | Kristaps Porzingis |
