Charlotte Hornets return home to face Kemba Walker and the Boston Celtics

The former Charlotte Hornets’ captain, Kemba Walker, is set to make his second and last return to the Spectrum Center for the 2019-20 season on Tuesday.

You know, it still feels a little odd to me when I see former Charlotte Hornets (13-22) All-Star, Kemba Walker, in a Boston Celtics (22-8) jersey. It will eventually not be weird but for now, it’s still taking some getting used to. Fans are happy that he finally is on a contending team, of course, but oh how we wish it was in a Hornets uniform.

So, when he makes his second return to the Spectrum Center this year, it will be somewhat emotional, but not as much as his first visit. His return couldn’t come at a worse time for the Hornets as they are currently riding a five-game losing streak. With a tough slate of games ahead, including a four-game West Coast trip, this is like kicking a man when he’s down.

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You never know how things will work out, however, and perhaps Charlotte could get hot and crawl their way out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference. It’s going to be a challenge and even though most fans seem to prefer them in “tank-mode,” the players themselves want to win. They’ll certainly need to elevate their level of play if that’s their desire because recently, they’ve struggled mightily.

Charlotte’s last game was a 117-104 loss on the road to the Memphis Grizzlies. They are 10th in the Eastern Conference. Boston’s last contest was a 113-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors. They are 3rd in the East. This is the third and final matchup between the two teams.

Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics
3:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, December 31st, 2019
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA:

None

BOS:

Jaylen Brown – Illness (Out)

Vincent Poirier – Finger (Out)

Robert Williams – Hip (Out)

Things to watch for:

That’s a bit of an odd tipoff time. You don’t see the Hornets playing many matinee games, especially during the workweek. It’ll be interesting to see the crowd turnout, even with Kemba returning for the final time this season.

Speaking of Kemba, he hasn’t exactly shined against his form squad. In the first game in Charlotte, he scored just 14 points on 4-12 shooting. He improved when these teams met in Boston, scoring 23 on 8-16 shooting. You just know he wants to punish his old team, especially since it will be the final time they meet this year. Either way, it should be fun.

Keys to the game:

Boston has the 4th highest free-throw percentage in the NBA. Obviously, sending them to the line would not be ideal, but they actually don’t attempt that many free-throws per game, ranking just 20th in attempts… right in front of Charlotte. As we all know, Charlotte is not so great at the line. Avoid costly fouls.

The Celtics allow the 7th lowest field-goal percentage in the league. Charlotte, of course, has the 6th lowest field-goal percentage. Part of that is them going on stretches where they just chuck up mid-range jumpers instead of trying to attack the basket. Against a good defensive team like the Celtics, taking quality shots and trying to get down low for easier shots would be important.

Charlotte will look to avoid getting swept by the Boston Celtics for the third time in four years. Most don’t see the Hornets coming out of this with a win, but they may shock some people, including their former captain. We’ll see if they can pull off the upset Tuesday afternoon in Charlotte.