David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets: The Celtics are still the best team in the league

The Charlotte Hornets are hosting the Boston Celtics today at Spectrum Center.

The Celtics are in a middle of a road trip

The Boston Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 record and 2-1 on the road. They are coming off the first loss of the season, 135-132 in overtime against the Indiana Pacers. The defending champions are the top-scoring team in the league averaging 125.8 points per game and are also on top making 21 three-pointers per game on 51.2% shooting from deep. Jayson Tatum leads the team with 30.2 points per game.

Are the Hornets a threat this season?

The Charlotte Hornets are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 2-2 record and are 1-1 at home. They are coming off a 138-133 win over the Toronto Raptors that ended their two-game losing streak. The Hornets are fourth in the league scoring 114.5 points per game and rank sixth shooting 39.2% from deep. Lamelo Ball leads the team averaging 28.5 points and 7 assists per game.

Betting Trends

The Hornets are 6-14 SU in their last 20 games overall, 1-5 SU in their last 6 games against Boston and 2-10 SU in their last 12 games against teams from the Atlantic Division. They are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games in November and 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games played on Friday. Charlotte has played over the total point line in their last 5 games against Boston, 4 of their last 5 home games and 10 of their last 11 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are 15-2 SU in their last 17 games overall, 8-1 SU in their last 9 games against Charlotte, 9-2 SU in their last 11 games on the road and 5-1 SU in their last 6 visits to Charlotte. They are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games overall, 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games against the Hornets and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against teams from the Southeast Division. Boston has played under the total point line in 8 of their las 11 games overall and 9 of their last 12 games played in November.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Boston Celtics are coming off their first loss of the season and are going to Charlotte to face a team they beat 8 times in the last 9 contests. The Hornets are finally healthy, and we are about to see how competitive they can be against the top teams in the league. Both teams are among the top 4 in the league in points per game and in the top 6 in three-point percentage. Knowing that their last 5 head-to-head games went over the total point line, we have every reason to follow the trend with the point line set at 232.5 points.