- Charlotte Hornets (29-30) vs. Boston Celtics (32-28)
- Sunday, April 25, 2021 at 1 PM EST (Spectrum Center)
- Bally Sports and WFNZ 610 AM or 102.5 FM
- Last time out: Celtics won, 116-86 on April 4, 2021 in Boston, MA
Second-Half Offense, Low Turnovers Lead Hornets to Homestand-Opening Win
Charlotte snapped an eight-quarter streak of scoring under 30 points starting in the third on Friday night against Cleveland, racking up 60 total points on 49% shooting over the final two frames in a 108-102 home victory. Fueled by a trifecta of 25-point games from Miles Bridges, PJ Washington and Terry Rozier, the Hornets took advantage of an 18-9 scoring differential in second-chance points and committed a season-low five turnovers. Offense is still a work in progress right now, but regardless, the team found a way to pull out a much-needed win.
Defensive Play Driving Boston’s Breakout April Performance
After posting a 13-17 combined record across February and March, the Celtics have now gone 9-3 in April, thanks largely to their improved efforts on the defensive end. Only Toronto and Utah have better defensive ratings this month then Boston (106.5), a big jump from the 112.2 mark (21st) the team recorded over its first 48 contests of the season. Charlotte finished with a season-low 86 points at TD Garden three weeks ago to the day and will have a tall task at hand keeping its offensive momentum going against a tough opposing defensive unit.
Charlotte Needs to Buckle Down on the Perimeter Against Celtics
Another area the Hornets struggled with in the first meeting against Boston was defending the three-point line, which probably could be attributed to their own shortcomings on the offensive end leading to easier opportunities the other way. The Celtics connected on 21-of-54 long-distance attempts in the 30-point win (39%), with Jaylen Brown (5), Marcus Smart (4), Evan Fournier (4) and Jayson Tatum (3) all hitting at least three triples. With Charlotte’s offense relatively limited at the moment, the team can’t afford to get into too much of a three-point shootout with the Celtics this time around at Spectrum Center.
Preview Quote
“It’s always great to have the home crowd with you behind your back and always cheering for you. Just to have that for us, especially in the fourth quarter, it was really good. Especially when we made stops and got out and hit big shots – just to have these fans here has been wonderful here in Charlotte.”- PJ Washington following Friday’s home win over Cleveland
Final Thoughts
Staring at a potential seventh loss in eight outings, the Hornets made several key plays down the stretch to pick up a badly-needed victory over the Cavaliers two nights ago. Charlotte will need to ride that exact same energy into this afternoon’s matinee against the surging Celtics, particularly with four of the team’s five contests over the next eight days all against current Eastern Conference playoff squads.
Additional Notes
G Jaylen Brown (left shoulder bursitis), G Kemba Walker (left knee injury management) and C Robert Williams III (left knee soreness) all sat out Boston’s Friday night road loss in Brooklyn. This defeat also snapped a five-game road winning streak for the Celtics… Charlotte has lost four straight and 13 of the 15 head-to-head meetings with Boston since the start of the 2016-17 season (both wins came at home in 2018-19)… These teams will meet again in Boston this upcoming Wednesday night for the season-series finale.