The floundering Charlotte Hornets host the Boston Celtics at the Spectrum Center for an early NBA betting affair, with the game tipping off early, at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Boston is also limping into this game — literally and physically — so keep an eye on the injury report in this one.
Who will come away with a nice little afternoon victory here? Find out in our Celtics vs. Hornets picks and predictions.
Celtics vs Hornets odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonBoston went from -7.5 to -10 between Saturday night and Sunday morning at FanDuel, then dropped straight from -10 to -8 and on to -7.5 between 9-10 a.m. ET, thanks to a growing list of questionables (see below). As of 12:25 p.m. ET, the Celtics are -8 while taking 59 percent of spread bets and 62 percent of spread money. The total is down to 211 from a 214.5 opener, though the Over is seeing 76 percent of bets/71 percent of money.
Check out the full line movement for this gameCeltics at Hornets betting preview
Injuries
Celtics: Jaylen Brown G (Questionable), Kemba Walker G (Questionable), Robert Williams III C (Questionable).
Hornets: Gordon Hayward F (Out), LaMelo Ball G (Doubtful), Malik Monk G (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under has hit in seven of Charlotte’s last eight games. Find more NBA betting trends for Celtics vs. Hornets.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
LaMelo Ball will seemingly be returning to the Hornets any day now, but it likely won’t be in this meeting with the Celtics. Meanwhile, Boston is dealing with a couple of injuries of its own, with Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown both questionable for this one.
The two of them do seem likely to play here but you’re going to want to make sure before making any plays. Walker arguably had his best game of the season against the Suns on Thursday, scoring 32 points in an upset victory over one of the Western Conference’s elite teams. However, Walker did miss the game against the Nets the next day and Boston would miss him if he can’t play against his former team here.
Boston does seem like the right side in this game, though. Not only does it seem like it will have both Walker and Brown, but Jayson Tatum is going to be the best player on the floor. The Hornets don’t have anybody that can handle his combination of size and skills on the perimeter, and it wouldn’t be all that shocking if he put up at least 30 in a game like this.
Also, Marcus Smart is an absolute pest defensively and should be able to make things rough on either Terry Rozier or Devonte’ Graham.
For what it’s worth, the Celtics are fifth in the NBA in defensive rating over the last 10 games. They’re really locking in as of late, and that’s just not good news for a team missing two dynamic offensive players in LaMelo and Gordon Hayward.
PREDICTION: Celtics -9 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The Under has hit in each of Boston’s last three games, and the same can be said for 11 of the team’s last 15.
Also, the Hornets have gone Under in seven of their last eight, and they just haven’t been playing at the same tempo without LaMelo in the lineup. It’s likely they’ll have some trouble scoring on the improved Celtics defense, and that makes this game scream Under.
PREDICTION: Under 214.5 (-110)
Player prop pick
Tatum is coming off a 38-point performance in Friday’s loss to the Nets and he should be able to stay hot in this one. In games against the Bulls and Suns earlier in the week, Tatum combined to shoot just 6 of 34 from the floor and 2 of 12 from the outside.
He definitely got back on track against Brooklyn, but it’ll take a little more efficiency to get back to the mean after disastrous outings like the two he had. Look for Tatum to torch the Hornets here.
PREDICTION: Jayson Tatum Over 24.5 Points (-116)
Celtics vs Hornets betting card
- Celtics -9 (-110)
- Under 214.5 (-110)
- Jayson Tatum Over 24.5 Points (-116)
Picks made on 4/25/2021 at 8:45 a.m. ET
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