Defense and depth have been the keys, as the Celtics have allowed fewer than 100 points in nine of their past 13 wins and are allowing an average of 107.0 points per game this season, the fewest of any NBA team.
Here’s a preview of Wednesday’s game:
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: TD Garden, Boston
TV, radio: NBCSB, WBZ-FM 98.5
Line: Boston -6.5. O/U: 213.0.
HORNETS
Season record: 31-31. vs. spread: 40-21, 1 push. Over/under: 24-38
Last 10 games: 7-3. vs. spread: 9-1. Over/under: 4-6
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CELTICS
Season record: 41-20. vs. spread: 36-25. Over/under: 22-39
Last 10 games: 8-2. vs. spread: 7-3. Over/under: 3-7
TEAM STATISTICS
Points per game: Charlotte 116.1, Boston 114.9
Points allowed per game: Charlotte 112.7, Boston 107.0
Field goal percentage: Charlotte .461, Boston .467
Opponent field goal percentage: Charlotte .471, Boston .440
3-point percentage: Charlotte .378, Boston .365
Opponent 3-point percentage: Charlotte .360, Boston .360
Stat of the day: Jaylen Brown, who is averaging a team-high 29.0 points per game, has missed seven games this season. The Celtics are 6-1 in those games.
Notes: Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score a game-high 25 points in Monday’s win against Milwaukee. Rookie Hugo Gonzalez made his third career start and contributed 18 points, 16 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. … Charlotte extended its winning streak to five games by beating Dallas 117-90 on Tuesday night. … The Hornets have won 15 of their past 18 games to move to .500 (31-31) for the first time since Oct. 28, when they were 2-2. … Brandon Miller scored a team-high 17 points against the Mavericks and has been Charlotte’s leading scorer in each of the past four games. … Wednesday’s game is the first of three meetings between the teams. Boston will play at Charlotte on March 29, and the Hornets will visit the Celtics on April 7.
Information from Field Level Media was included in this report.
Matt Pepin can be reached at [email protected].
