Charlotte Hornets Host the Boston Celtics in Regular Season Home Finale
Even though the Charlotte Hornets’ playoff hopes remain slim, they will look to close out the season strong at home as they face off against Boston.
The Charlotte Hornets (36-43) are set to take on the Boston Celtics (50-29) in their final home game of the regular season. Steve Clifford’s side was defeated by the Miami Heat last time out and they are coming into this one as losers of their last two. With their playoff chances down to less than 1% (FiveThirtyEight.com), they might just be playing for pride sake at this point in the year.
In their last outing, the Celtics fell to the Atlanta Hawks, 123-116, away from home. They have lost two straight games and three of their last five in total heading into this one. After losing their last two, Boston will look to bounce back as they still are still in contention for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Hornets are 0-3 on the year against Boston after they came out on the wrong end of each meeting. With this being the fourth and final game of their season series, Charlotte will be looking to not get swept by the Celtics. They have lost seven of their last eight regular season games against Boston and suffered defeats in each of their last four at home.
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Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics
6:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, April 8th, 2017
Spectrum Center
Broadcast on FOX Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
OUT – Johnny O’Bryant (right ankle sprain), missed last 15 games (3/10 – 4/5)
QUESTIONABLE – Marco Belinelli (left finger strain)
BOS:
OUT – James Young and Amir Johnson (illness)
What to Watch For:
The Charlotte Hornets’ Playoff Hopes
Not only do the Hornets need to win out in their last three games of the regular season but they also need the Heat and one of Indiana Pacers or the Chicago Bulls to lose out. Keep an eye out for results around the league. It isn’t likely but Charlotte still has the slimmest of chances as they have not yet been officially eliminated from the postseason.
Charlotte, Miami, Indiana and Chicago all play tonight so the results of their games will be important in the race for the playoffs. First things first though, the Hornets need to win in order for any of the other results to even matter.
Key Matchup:
Kemba Walker vs Isaiah Thomas
These two all-stars will be battling it out for the final time this season. This is one of the best matchups in the entire NBA between two point guards who are both under 6-feet tall. They might not throw down highlight reel dunks but Kemba and Isaiah get buckets in their own special way by finishing over much taller players on a regular basis.
Next: Kemba's On the Verge of Making History
The outcome of this game will likely be decided on which player wins the point guard battle. Against the Celtics this season, Walker is averaging 26.5 points per game while Thomas is averaging 28.3 against the Hornets. Expect big scoring numbers from these two.