Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets Predictions and Odds Jan 19
Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets betting preview for Wednesday, January 19. At the time of posting, the Celtics have opened as a 4.5-point home favorite over the visiting Hornets, with the total sitting at 219.5 points.
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| Wednesday, January 19 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Boston Celtics -4.5 vs Charlotte Hornets |
| Total: | 219.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 7:40pm ET / 4:40pm PT |
| Arena: | TD Garden in Boston |
| TV: | ESPN |
Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets Analysis
The Charlotte Hornets continue their road trip as they head to Boston to face the Celtics at TD Garden on Wednesday night. The Celtics have won the first two games of their four game homestand to go above .500 at 23-22. Meanwhile the Hornets stung the Knicks 97-87 on Monday afternoon to improve to 24-20 on the season.
This will be game one of ESPN’s Wednesday night doubleheader. Boston emerged victorious 140-129 after outscoring Charlotte 18-7 in overtime way back in late October. After tonight these teams will meet two more times during the regular season.
Hornets Fly On Offense, Weak On Defense
The Charlotte Hornets average 114.5 points a game, good for second in the NBA. They sit at 10th in field goal percentage and 4th in three-pointer percentage. Miles Bridges leads the team with 20 points a game, with Lamelo Ball not far behind with 19.4 points a game. Speaking of Ball, he was glaringly absent on Monday against New York. He was held out of the game with a minor illness and should be available tonight. Kelly Oubre Jr is also questionable on the league’s health and safety protocol list.
The Hornets’ defense is a polar opposite to its offense as they are 29th in points allowed with 114.8 per game. Charlotte has won 5 of their last 6 games. The current run includes two big wins against Milwaukee as well as a victory over Philadelphia.
Boston’s Home Cooking
If the Boston Celtics can pick up a victory here they stand a good chance of sweeping their four game homestand with the Portland Trailblazers G-League team on deck. The Celts picked up a 104-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans after beating the Chicago Bulls 114-112 in the prior game. They are currently in great form as they have won 5 of their last 6 games. Boston is relatively healthy outside of Marcus Smart being on the Covid protocol list.
The Celtics need to improve on an offense that only scores 107.6 points a game, ranking them 19th in the league. They obviously rely heavily on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who average 25.5 and 24.2 points a game respectively. On defense they allow only 105.7 points a game, good for 8th in the league.
Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction
The Boston Celtics are 4.5-point favorites over the Charlotte Hornets with the total set at 219.5 points. The Celtics have had the Hornets number of late as they are 6-1 against the spread in their last 7 head-to-head matchups. However both teams are coming into this game with a lot of confidence and momentum. It has the feeling of an evenly matched game with both teams scoring into the 110’s, making the over very appealing.
We will take the over 219.5 as an official play. The Hornets play at the fastest pace in the league and Boston will have little trouble scoring at will. These teams played a 140-129 game already this season. The game did go to overtime but they were already at 244 in regulation.
Official Play: OVER 219.5 Points
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Wednesday’s #NBA Notes:
🏀Orlando has covered the spread in four of its last five as a double-digit road ‘dog.
🏀Charlotte is 12-5 against the spread as a ‘dog.
🏀The under is 19-5 in Dallas’ last 24 games.
🏀The over is 26-13 in Houston’s last 39 games.
➡️https://t.co/RHOuvHZvdC pic.twitter.com/g94ryCDsIL— GoldSheet (@thegoldsheet) January 19, 2022
Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets Preview from GoldSheet
Reacting as we expected following a humiliating loss to the lowly Magic, the Hornets came out buzzing in the MLK Day matinee at Madison Square Garden and shut down the Knicks. Belying its ranking as a bottom five defense, Charlotte has actually been locking up on the stop end much better lately, ranking 10th since Christmas, with James Borrego sprinkling in more zone looks, recently holding the Bucks (twice) and Sixers to a mere 101 points per 100 possessions over a three-game span…not too shabby, especially since each of those was a win.
The Hornets did that minus LaMelo Ball (non-Covid illness, which is how we have to refer to all ailments until further notice, we suppose), who is expected to be available tonight, though Miles Bridges made sure Ball wasn’t missed when scoring a career-high 38 (sheesh!).
The sort of effort might be required again as the Celtics are in their best six-game stretch of the season (5-1 SU) as the offense shows signs of becoming more efficient, which it hasn’t been for much of the season (ranking 22nd), and Jayson Tatum remaining on fire while maintaining his slightly-better-than-25 ppg scoring in January. Tatum was also Man of the Match in the long-ago Oct. 25 meeting when scoring 41 as Boston prevailed in OT, but it’s a different and defensively-tougher Charlotte these days.
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Wednesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of guests for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets clash, from a betting perspective.
NBA Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Wednesday’s NBA games, including this Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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