Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets 12/31/19 NBA Betting Odds and Prediction

The Boston Celtics head to the Hive to take on the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on December 31, 2019.

The Celtics are the third-best team in the Eastern Conference team standings right now with their 22-8 SU record. Boston is coming off a loss to the Toronto Raptors in a defeat that snapped their five-game winning streak. The Hornets head to this game after losing to the Grizzlies in Memphis. Charlotte is 13-22 SU on the season and they are in 3rd place in the Southeast Division. The Celtics have beaten the Hornets in their first two meetings of the season. Another win by Boston will give them the season sweep against Charlotte.

Looking for Another Streak

The Boston Celtics’ five-game winning streak ended against the Toronto Raptors last Saturday night in a second of back to back games for the men in green. Boston is looking to start another streak and playing the struggling Charlotte Hornets could be a good start as Boston has beaten Charlotte twice already this season.

Jayson Tatum took just seven shots during Saturday’s loss to the Raptors but he scored 39 points against the Hornets last December 22. Former Hornet Kemba Walker scored 23 points against Charlotte in their last meeting. He is 2-0 against his former team and is looking for a season sweep here.

The Celtics rank 13th in the league in scoring at 111.5 points per game. They are also 15th in rebounding at 45.5 boards grabbed per contest and 19th in passing at 23.2 dimes per contest. Boston has the second-best scoring defense in the entire NBA at only 104.0 points allowed per game.

Struggling Hornets

Charlotte heads home having struggled in recent weeks and they have lost their last five games played. The Hornets lost by 26 points to the Celtics on December 22, lost by two points to the OKC Thunder five days later and then dropped a 13-point contest to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.

Devonte Graham leads the Hornets in scoring at 19.1 points per game but he shot just 5-18 from the floor against the Grizzlies and finished with 16 points. Former Celtics guard Terry Rozier is Charlotte’s second-leading scorer at 17.3 points per game this season. Including Graham and Rozier, Charlotte’s top four scorers are aged between 21 to 21 years old.

Charlotte ranks 28th in the NBA in scoring at 104.1 points per game scored. They are 25th in rebounding at 42.8 boards hauled per outing and are 16th in passing at 23.7 assists per game. The Hornets are allowing the 15th most points per game this season at 110.8 points per contest.

Who Wins?

The Celtics are 5-1 SU in their last six games played. Boston is 9-6 SU in 15 road games played this season and 4-1 SU in their last five games against the Eastern Conference. The Hornets are 0-5 SU in their last five games played. Charlotte is 7-10 SU in 17 home games played this season, and 5-11 SU in their last 16 games against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Celtics are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played against the Hornets.

Kemba Walker is 2-0 SU against his former team. Boston defeated Charlotte by 21 points in Walker’s first game back at the Hive and the Celtics won by 26 points at the TD Garden last December 22. But Boston will be without Jaylen Brown who has an undisclosed illness but Marcus Smart returned to action against the Raptors.

The Hornets are struggling right now as they have lost six out of their last seven games, including the last five. Two out of their last three losses have been by double digits including their December 22 setback to the Celtics. Keep an eye on Terry Rozier as he plays against his former team.

The Celtics are the third-best team in the East right now and even with Jaylen Brown sidelined, they still have plenty of weapons. Expect Kemba Walker to take charge while Jayson Tatum is coming off a 39-point effort against the Hornets last December 22nd. I like the Celtics to come out firing here and build a big lead early and never look back.

Prediction: Boston Celtics

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Other Bets to Make

Boston is 12-6 ATS in their last 18 games played. The Celtics are 9-5-1 ATS in 25 road games played this season, and 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games played against the Southeast Division. Charlotte is 16-17-2 ATS in 35 games played this season. The Hornets are 8-8-1 ATS in 17 home games played this year, and 1-4 ATS in their last five games played against the Atlantic Division. Head to head, the Celtics are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Hornets.

The Celtics have outscored the Hornets by an average of 13. 2 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 13.33 points per game in their most recent three head to head meetings. Charlotte is a scrappy team that can pull off upsets but even without Jaylen Brown, the Celtics defense is going to get them the win here.

Prediction: Celtics -6.5

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The total has gone over in three out of the last four games played by Boston. The Celtics have seen the total go over in four out of their last five road games. The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by the Hornets. The over is also 4-2 in Charlotte’s last six December games. Head to head, the total has gone over in six out of the last seven games played between these two teams.

These teams have combined to score an average of 216.4 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 216.0 points per game in their most recent three encounters. These teams combined for 212 points in their last meeting on December 22, 2019. The Celtics were held down to 97 points against the Raptors last Saturday but before that game, Boston scored at least 114 points per game in their last four games played. Charlotte is in the bottom half in scoring defense and gave up 119 points to the Celtics on December 22.

Prediction: Over 209.5

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