NBA Picks and Betting Tips: Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics

As this shocking Hornets team enters their 5th matchup with great hope for the first time since Kemba Walker was their star, they play a top-notch Celtics squad that looks nearly unstoppable. With the Hornets coming off a victory against the Raptors, Boston suffered their first tough loss against a tough Indiana team in overtime. This game will be played on November 2nd at 4:30 A.M. IST in T.D. Garden of Boston. Below are our betting tips, top players, recent performances, and public trends to come up with a prediction for this matchup. 

Key Betting Tips & Predictions

1.Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Moneyline Pick

The money line for the Celtics in this matchup to take is at -330 with Boston having a great chance to dominate this game. Given that the Hornets' big men Nic Richards and Mike Wiliams, can’t match Jayson Tatum or Al Horford with scoring plus rebounding, this will be a huge advantage for them from the get-go. As the Celtics Jaylen Brown will be able to ease his way through Miles Bridges on both ends of the floor, while Derrick White can keep using Jrue Holiday as a decoy to beat Lamelo Ball, both ends of the floor will be won by the Celtics again. This -330 is a perfect pick because this should be a game that Boston can easily control from the tip. 

2. Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Point Spread Pick

With the Celtics being at a -12.5 spread, they will have a huge advantage in this game as one of the most well-rounded teams in the league. Although the Hornets' Lamelo Ball might make some noise with his great shooting and ability to dribble, it will all depend on what level Jrue Holiday decides to play defense in this game. As Miles Bridges is one of the matchups the Hornets could potentially win on offense against Tatum, Jaylen Brown could always switch on him and force a lot of bad shots instead. With Derrick White having a chance to go on Tre Mann, his size will take over even if Lamelo is somewhere in the vicinity. Whatever the Hornets try to do the Celtics will have an answer for, which can potentially turn this game into a huge blowout. 

3. Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Over/Under Pick (Total Points)

As the over/under for this game is 224 points, this will be a pretty high-scoring game given that both teams at least have two elite three-point shooters. With the ability to attack the hoop as well with forwards, this should be the 4th straight game that both teams combined should go over 225. With the Hornets limited a bit on offense due to Boston’s prowess there, the Celtics score will be a key to getting this over the limit once again. 

Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Top Player Props

Miles Bridges over 18.5 points at 1.57: Even though the Hornets will be weak on offense outside of Miles and Lamelo, this should be a game in which Bridges could have a massive impact. With Tatum sticking on him, he has shown great potential to attack players similar in size to him which is what will happen here. As Horford won’t come on him due to Mark Williams's ability inside, Bridges should finally improve upon his 15.0 points average in limited time, as he has started getting bigger roles. 

Jayson Tatum over 24.5 points at 1.68: As Tatum on the other hand will have Miles Bridges on defense, he can attack the Charlotte forward who has shown struggles defending any type of three-point shooter. With Tatum not only making people pay like that, he will also have a lot of pick-and-roll action which allows him to dominate Nic Richards in the paint with Mark Williams having other responsibilities. Seeing that his season average is 30.2 points, Tatum should hit way over the 24.5 mark against a Hornets defense. 

Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics Injury News & Impact

Charlotte Hornets Injuries: As the Hornets currently don’t have any injuries on their side, they will have a roster that should be able to play at a top level once again after shocking many people with their scoring abilities. 

Boston Celtics Injuries: With the Boston Celtics still having Kristaps Porzingis out since the beginning of the year, they have managed to control this loss with Al Horford easily fitting in. Even though they might miss him because of his scoring ability, 20.1 points last season, Porzingis didn’t have similar leadership qualities to someone like Horford. Seeing that, it’s not a major loss, but just one where Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will have to score a few more points than normal. 

Head-to-Head Trends

As the Celtics have been the main story of these matchups, they have ended up winning 6 of the previous 7 head to heads. With none of the games ending up with a differential of fewer than 10 points except for Boston’s one loss, they have always been able to control the Hornets from the start of the tip. As the Celtics are 4-1 against the spread in 5 previous matchups, they hope to continue this hot streak going as one of the best all-around teams in the NBA. Averaging 123.33 points per night against Charlotte over the previous 3 games, they should continue thriving on offense. 

Betting Insights & Public Trends

According to the public trends, 67.1% of the betters are backing the Boston Celtics to win their matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. 

Final Prediction

As the Celtics enter this matchup having taken a tough loss to the Indiana Pacers, they will be more than motivated to take at a much weaker defensive team. Even though the Hornets have had Lamelo Ball show for them big time this season, Jrue Holiday is someone who can lock him down with great athleticism. Given that he is a guard who never lets opposing ones get past him and force them into threes or passes, it will make the options for Charlotte a lot less. Even though Tre Mann and he will keep rotating around the point guard/shooting guard positions, having someone like Derrick White guard could be a problem. His ability to help cause turnovers with Jrue Holiday and turn it into fast transition points will cause a lot of Hornets pieces to have to react quicker than usual. With Al Horford and Jayson Tatum showing their skill as great rebounders, the Hornets will likely have a Mark Williams who is not set up for game speed yet come back. Seeing that on the defensive end, the Hornets might struggle to guard all 5 pieces as Horford is one of the best centers in spacing the floor by knocking down multiple threes. With the Hornets' Brandon Miller 50/50 for this game, Nic Richards might have to start at the forward position even though he is much less explosive. Seeing Boston’s unit that can continuously knock down three with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, while Holiday keeps creating room for Derrick White to do damage, it might be too much for Lamelo Ball to handle by himself. If Mark Williams and Brandon Miller do return to full game speed though, this could end up being a very different finish at the end. 

Our Prediction: Boston Celtics will win this game and cover a -12.5 spread, while the total score will be over 224 points.