The Charlotte Hornets are wrapping up their eighth back-to-back set of the season and their pre-Christmas schedule tonight at TD Garden as they face the Boston Celtics for the second time this year beginning at 6 PM EST.
Charlotte fell at home to the Utah Jazz, 114-107, last night, although got a team-high 29 points from Terry Rozier, which came on the heels of a career-high 35-point showing in his hometown of Cleveland three days earlier. Today’s game marks another homecoming of sorts for Rozier as he’ll be making his first regular season appearance in Boston, the city where he began his NBA career.
“That’s been my home for four years,” said Rozier after Saturday’s loss. “Going back there is going to be special. I’m going to embrace it and go out there and have fun. Obviously, I want to win. That’s going to be a lot of fun tomorrow night. [Boston fans] showed a lot of love in the preseason [when we played there]. I definitely felt appreciated and I love the city of Boston.”
Boston beat the Hornets, 108-87, on Nov. 8 in what was Kemba Walker’s first game back in Charlotte since leaving the franchise over the summer. Jayson Tatum (23 points) and Gordon Hayward (20) led the Celtics in scoring, while only Miles Bridges (18) and Devonte’ Graham (15 points) scored in double figures for a Charlotte team that shot just 38.4% (6-of-31 from three).
The Celtics (19-7) enter this game ranked top-6 in the NBA in both offensive (110.8; 6th) and defensive (103.7; 5th) rating. They are also third in points off turnovers allowed (14.3), fourth in fast-break points conceded (12.0) and second in opposing paint scoring (41.2). Coming off a tough final two quarters in terms of shot-making against Utah, the Hornets will need to get creative offensively tonight against a staunch Celtics defense.
Game Notes: G Marcus Smart (left eye infection), C Robert Williams III (left hip bone edema) and C Vincent Poirier (right pinky finger fracture) will not play for Boston. Hayward (left foot soreness) is listed as questionable… The Hornets have dropped six straight games at TD Garden.