The Hornets travel to Boston to take on the Celtics in this Eastern Conference matchup. The game is set to tip-off at 7:30 ET and will be televised on NBCS.

Boston is currently favored by 7.5 points and has a moneyline of -322. The over/under line is set at 217. The Celtics, who have lost two straight, are 1st in the Eastern Conference with a record of 62-18. Charlotte is currently 13th in the East with a record of 20-60 and has a moneyline of +255.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS VS BOSTON CELTICS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Boston Celtics -7.5

This game will be played at TD Garden at 7:30 ET on Friday, April 12th.

WHY BET THE BOSTON CELTICS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 115-105 in favor of the Celtics.
  • Our projections have Jayson Tatum finishing with Jayson Tatum points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
  • From the field, we have the Celtics finishing with a field goal percentage of 48.6% and knocking down 19 threes.

Can The Hornets Secure a Road Victory?

In games involving the Hornets this season, the average combined scoring total is 223.3 points, which is higher than today’s line of 217. The over has hit in each of their last four games.

Charlotte’s O/U record for the season is 41-39, and 64 of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s. In their most recent game against the Hawks, the teams combined for 229 points, surpassing the O/U line of 227.

Charlotte’s ATS record for the season is 32-46, and they have gone 14-25 against the spread on the road. As the underdog, they are 31-41 vs. the spread.

The Hornets are coming off a 115-114 win over the Hawks, where they were 8.5-point underdogs. This improved their overall record to 20-60, which is 13th in the Eastern Conference.

Against other Eastern Conference teams, the Hornets are 13-37 and 6-10 against their division. On the road, they are 9-30 compared to 11-30 at home.

Heading into their matchup with the Celtics, the Hornets are one of the worst offensive teams in the league. They rank 29th in scoring at 106.5 points per game. On the road, they are scoring just 104.9 points per game.

Charlotte has struggled to get to the free-throw line this season, ranking last in both free-throw attempts and makes. In terms of pace, they are 25th in the league at 96.7 possessions per game.

When it comes to three-point shooting, the Hornets are 25th in three-point percentage at 35%. Overall, they are 26th in field goal percentage and 23rd in two-point shooting percentage.

On average, the Charlotte defense is giving up 116.7 points per game (22nd). Right now, they are on a 2 game streak of giving up fewer points than their season average. When it comes to forced turnovers, the Hornets are forcing 13 per game, which is 18th in the league. They also come into the game sitting 26th in blocked shots at 4.4 per game.

Can Boston Lock in a Home Win?

Boston is currently leading the Eastern Conference with a record of 62-18. In games against other Eastern Conference teams, they are 39-11, and 23-7 in non-conference matchups.

At home, the Celtics have gone 35-4 this season and have an average scoring margin of +14.9 points per game. On the road, their scoring margin is +7.5 PPG.

In terms of their ATS record, the Celtics are 40-37 for the season and have gone 21-17 ATS at home. Coming into today’s game, they have failed to cover the spread in two straight games at home and on the road.

This year, the Celtics have been favored in 76 of their 80 games and have a record of 60-16 as the favorite. As the favorite, their ATS record is 38-35, with an average scoring margin of +11.8 PPG.

In their most recent game, the Celtics were favored by 3 points but lost to the Knicks by a score of 118-109. The O/U line for that game was 220.5, and the teams combined for 227 points.

On the season, the Celtics have an O/U record of 41-38-1, with an average over/under line of 229.3. Today’s line of 217 is lower than 79 of their previous games.

At home, the Celtics are averaging 122.7 points per game, which is 3rd in the NBA. Overall, they are 2nd in scoring at 120.3 points per game. Heading into the game, Boston has outscored the NBA scoring average in 72.5% of their games.

When it comes to pace, the Celtics are 20th in the league at 97.1 possessions per game. In terms of field goal percentage, they are 9th in the NBA at 48%. Boston is also 2nd in true shooting percentage.

One area where the Celtics have struggled is in two-point shooting. They are 29th in the league in two-pointers made per game. However, they are 3rd in two-point shooting percentage. From beyond the arc, Boston is 1st in three-pointers made per game but just 3rd in three-point shooting percentage.

Coming into today’s game, the Celtics’ defense is giving up an average of 109.2 points per contest. In terms of two point field goal attempts, the Celtics defense has allowed a shooting percentage of 52.1% while allowing 34.8% from downtown.