The Hornets are off to a hot start, and just vanquished the Nets in a blowout. Now they’re coming up against another perennial playoff team in the Boston Celtics. 

Can the Hornets stay perfect, or will the Celtics spoil the party? Catch this game live on October 26, at 7:00 AM, Manila time.

Boston Celtics: TEAM (1-2, 1-1 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Dennis Schroder
  • SG: Marcus Smart
  • SF: Jaylen Brown (listed as day-to-day, missed game against Houston) / Jayson Tatum
  • PF: Jayson Tatum / Al Horford (if Jaylen Brown cannot play)
  • C: Robert Williams III

The Boston Celtics have had a pretty tough go of it to start their season. They dropped their first game of the year in a double-OT thriller against the New York Knicks, and then were taken apart by the Toronto Raptors in a 115-83 blowout. They finally got their first win of the season against the rebuilding Houston Rockets, and now look to face the unbeaten Charlotte Hornets away from home.

Jayson Tatum was his usual self against the Rockets, leading all scorers with 31 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 12 of 24 on the floor. That was a big boost to a Celtics squad that saw Jaylen Brown rest because of knee soreness, and he may not be 100% even if he does play against the Hornets. A healthy Brown is  a difference maker, as evidenced by his 46 points against the Knicks, but he wasn’t himself in the Raptors loss as he posted 9 points on 3 of 13 shooting.

The question for the Celtics will be who carries the scoring load along with Tatum, as Dennis Schroder chipped in with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists during the win against the Rockets while Al Horford had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds while also tallying 3 assists and 3 blocks.

Grant Williams will need to bring points off the bench again, too, and his 18 points on 6 of 8 shooting was a good sign during the Rockets game.

The Celtics are 1-2-0 against the spread so far this season, and also 1-2-0 on the over/under.

Home: TEAM (3-0, 0-0 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: LaMelo Ball
  • SG: Kelly Oubre
  • SF: Miles Bridges
  • PF: Gordon Hayward
  • C: Miles Plumlee

Well, the Hornets probably didn’t expect themselves to be in this position. The’ve just posted their first 3-0 start to a season in franchise history, with their third victory coming via the way of a 111-95 blowout of the Brooklyn Nets. They were down 58-50 at halftime before roaring back 61-37 in the second half.

LaMelo Ball continues to show his development as a well-balanced point guard, registering 18 points, 5 rebounds 5 assists and a block with no turnovers. He shot 8 of 18 from the field and the only nitpick would be that he shot 1 of 6 from three. But as a young player, Ball will have plenty of time to improve his outside shooting.

Miles Bridges was the star of the show against Brooklyn, dropping 32 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block without turning the ball over. He shot 9 of 16 from the field and 3 of 5 from deep while also making 11 of 12 free throws. He basically cancelled out Kevin Durant’s contribution for the Nets, which is no easy feat. They’ll need him to continue being aggressive, especially if Jaylen Brown doesn’t suit up for the Celtics tomorrow.

The Hornets got 39 points from their bench, and will be hoping for a similar production, because you never know how many Tatum will go off for on any given night. Gordon Hayward will be another player to watch for the Hornets, as even though he only had 8 points against Brooklyn, he’s averaging 17.7 points for the season so far.

Charlotte are 3-0-0 against the spread so far this season. They’re 2-1-0 against the Over/Under.

PREDICTION:

Spread: This is a tough one, and the spread is tight. In their current form, I think Charlotte are good to cover -1.

Over/Under: Both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, and Jayson Tatum played 37 minutes against the Rockets. I’d take the Under 223.5.

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