Boston @ Charlotte preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 22, 2019 ) Charlotte 93, Boston 119

The Boston Celtics aim to bounce back from their most lopsided loss of the season when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday for a New Year's Eve matinee. After winning five in a row by an average of 16.2 points, the Celtics fell 113-97 to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday for their second home loss in 15 tries.

"Toronto raised their level of intensity and we weren't ready to handle it," guard Jaylen Brown told reporters after the Raptors shot 52.4 percent from the floor, a season high for a Boston opponent. That rare clunker for the Celtics came six days after a 119-93 win over Charlotte at home in which Boston's Jayson Tatum scored a career-high 39 points. The Hornets have lost two more since then to stretch their losing streak to five in a row, tied for their longest this season. They started slow and never recovered in a 117-104 loss at Memphis on Sunday.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBCS Boston, FS Southeast (Charlotte)

ABOUT THE CELTICS (22-8): Boston received a boost Saturday in the return of guard Marcus Smart from an eye infection that cost him eight games, and his defensive prowess is something the team has been lacking. "We've got to get back to being a better defensive team," coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "And we've got to find ... we've got to find the right mix of guys that will defend well together and that complement our best players to defend well. And just get back to that." Former Hornets star Kemba Walker, who will be making his second trip back to Charlotte since leaving this offseason, scored 30 points in the loss to the Raptors to boost his team-leading average to 22.5.

ABOUT THE HORNETS (13-22): Guard Devonte' Graham's breakout early in the season gave Charlotte some reason for optimism, but the second-year pro has hit a rough patch in recent weeks. He was 5-for-18 from the field in the loss at Memphis and is shooting 28.7 percent during the losing streak. "It's just part of the game," he told reporters Sunday while discussing the team's overall issues on that end of the floor. "You're going to hit some. You're going to miss some. I felt like we were taking our normal shots. Guys who shoot the ball shoot the ball, getting to paint, missing some bunnies and floaters, things like that."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Graham has 33 assists and six turnovers over his last three games.

2. Walker is averaging 18.5 points and five assists in two games against his former team.

3. Tatum scored 23 points to help Boston win 108-87 at Charlotte on Nov. 7.

PREDICTION: Celtics 111, Hornets 104