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Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Game Preview

The Hornets head back home to take on the Boston Celtics for the first of their two games.
Austin Leake|
Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Game Preview
Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Game Preview

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Charlotte Hornets

INJURY REPORT:

HORNETS: DOUBTFUL: Gordon Hayward (Hamstring), OUT: Kelly Oubre

CELTICS: OUT: Jaylen Brown (Groin), Danilo Gallinari (Knee)

GAME PREVIEW:

The Charlotte Hornets take on the Boston Celtics for the first game of two that the teams will play in the coming days. The Hornets started their four-game road trip with a convincing win over the Milwaukee Bucks but finished the trip losing their last three games to Indiana and Toronto twice. The Celtics seem to be back on track as they've won their past five games and still sit at first in the Eastern Conference. Jaylen Brown, who has been a huge part of Boston's success this year, missed the last game with an abductor injury. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla said he could "miss a week or two" with the injury, which means he most likely will miss both contests against the Hornets. Brown is averaging 27.2 points per game, along with 7.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.8% from the field. The Hornets might have a slightly easier matchup with Brown out of the lineup as they look to snap Boston's five-game winning streak. 

Key Matchup: Hornets defense against Boston Celtics

The Celtics average the second-most points in the NBA this season with 118.4 points per game. The Hornets' offense has not been the biggest problem this season as they average just over 112 points per game. However, they allow the third most points per game with 118.6 points per game. The Hornets will need to play physically with a veteran tough team in Boston. Steve Clifford has been very critical of the Hornets' defense all season long and they just recently had a statement win over the Milwaukee Bucks, mostly in part to shutting down Giannis Antetokounmpo. The last time these two teams faced off the Celtics scored 140 points. Although, the Hornets were really shorthanded, that defense against the Eastern Conference-best is not going to get it done. 

PositionHornetsCeltics

Point Guard

LaMelo Ball

Marcus Smart

Shooting Guard

Terry Rozier

Derrick White

Small Forward

Jalen McDaniels

Jayson Tatum

Power Forward

PJ Washington

Grant Williams

Center

Mason Plumlee

Robert Williams lll

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Austin Leake
AUSTIN LEAKE

Austin Leake is a graduate of High Point University, where he majored in sports media, minored in social media marketing, and continued his education in the CBL Master's Program. Austin has covered the Hornets since 2017 and joined the Charlotte Hornets On SI in June of 2022. His coverage primarily features game previews and recaps, monthly mailbags, and more.

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