Boston Celtics (39-16) vs Charlotte Hornets (15-41)
Game Info: Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:30 pm (TD Garden)
Betting Odds: Boston Celtics -9.5 -- Over/Under: 230 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: ESPN, NBC Sports Boston, Bally Sports SE-CHA Stream live sports and exclusive originals on ESPN+. Sign up now! 
The Boston Celtics play host to the Charlotte Hornets at the TD Garden on Friday night.
The Boston Celtics have been in decent form as they’ve won four of their last five games and they will be eager to stay hot after outlasting the 76ers in a 106-99 home win on Wednesday. Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon led the team in scoring with 19 points each, Blake Griffin and Grant Williams each scored 15 points while Jayson Tatum chipped in with just 12 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. As a team, the Celtics shot 52 percent from the field and 19 of 35 from the 3-point line as they rode the hot hand of Griffin who steered the team out of an early deficit, before they pulled away in the fourth quarter despite losing Jaylen Brown to injury in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets have been in a slump as they’ve lost seven of their last nine games overall and they will be hoping to put an end to a five-game slide after getting routed by the Wizards in a 118-104 road loss on Wednesday. PJ Washington led the team with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists, Terry Rozier added 19 points with seven rebounds and six assists while LaMelo Ball chipped in with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Hornets shot just 41 percent from the field and nine of 31 from the 3-point line as they took it to the Wizards to tie the scores going into halftime, but they let all their hard work go down the drain in the third quarter where they scored just 15 points to allow the Wizards to pull away.
Looking at the betting trends, the Celtics are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a winning record and 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall. The Celtics are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against a team below .400 and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Head to head, the Hornets are 2-9-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings in Boston and the Hornets are 6-22-1 ATS in the last 29 meetings overall.
The Celtics are shorthanded for this one as Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart are both out, while Jayson Tatum is currently listed as questionable with an illness. The Hornets are shorthanded again as Kelly Oubre and Cody Martin are still out and their confidence took another shot to the guts after losing to the lowly Wizards in their last outing. The Hornets are only 2-9-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings in Boston, but with the injury cloud hanging over the Celtics, I think the Hornets can hang around long enough to get the backdoor cover with this line.
Peter’s Pick Charlotte +9.5
AUTHOR: Peter Tran
Mitch's Take...
