The Boston Celtics host the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden on Tuesday, April 7, at 8:00 PM ET.
The Celtics are 53-25 and second in the East, while the Hornets are 43-36 and eighth in the East. The Celtics have a 27-11 record at home while the Hornets are 22-17 on the road.
The Celtics picked up a 115-101 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, while the Hornets are coming off a 122-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, their fourth consecutive win. This is the third and final meeting of the season between the two teams, with the season series currently tied at 1-1. Their last matchup was a 114-99 win for the Celtics on March 29, 2026.
The Celtics have been led by Jaylen Brown, averaging 28.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists over the season. The All-NBA First Team candidate is joined by co-star Jayson Tatum, who is averaging 21.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 14 games since his improbable return from a torn Achilles.
The Hornets are led by LaMelo Ball, who’s having the best winning season of his career by averaging 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists as the offensive coordinator of one of the league’s most exciting franchises. Another reason for Charlotte’s success is rookie Kon Knueppel, who is averaging 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season and hopes to win Rookie of the Year.
These are two of the hottest teams in the East, with both teams going 8-2 over their last 10 games. With Playoff seeds still available to fight for, this is going to be a fascinating contest.
Injury Report
Celtics
N/A
Hornets
Coby White: Probable (groin)
PJ Hall: Out (ankle)
Why The Celtics Have The Advantage
The Celtics have proven over the course of their season that their success in Tatum’s absence wasn’t a lucky outcome, as the team is structurally one of the most balanced rosters in the NBA. This has been evident all season and even after Tatum’s return. The Celtics have the second-best offensive rating (119.9), fourth-best defensive rating (111.7), and third-best net rating (+8.2) in the NBA this season.
Even though Boston’s push for the No. 1 seed has ended, they still need to keep the New York Knicks away from potentially stealing the No. 2 seed. They’ll be motivated to win, and much of what we’ve seen from them this year shows that they can beat any opponent when motivated to earn a win.
The Celtics are well-designed to shut down Charlotte’s offense, although opponents score 36.0% of three-pointers against the Celtics. With the Hornets having a weak-scoring paint offense (45.5 PIPG, 25th in the NBA), the Celtics can easily shut that down with their impressive interior protection, giving up the fewest points in the NBA (39.9).
One of the few advantages for the Celtics is that they don’t commit many turnovers (12.3 TOPG, best in the NBA) and play tight on-ball, which might make the Hornets’ defense work hard. Charlotte already struggles at forcing turnovers with 7.0 steals per game, so if the Celtics play in a composed fashion, they’ll be hard to stop offensively.
With the team still readjusting to playing alongside Tatum, the remaining regular-season games are important for the Celtics to complete this process. They won’t take it easy on the court to ensure they’re at their most dangerous with Tatum in their already-impressive roster.
Why The Hornets Have The Advantage
The Hornets have two advantages over the Celtics heading into this clash. The first is that the Hornets have the fourth-best road record in the East, so the challenge of playing at the TD Garden shouldn’t faze them.
The Hornets are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA this season, ranking second in attempts (43.1 3PA) and third in percentage (38.1 3P%). With Knueppel and Ball leading the league as the most prolific three-point shooting duo, it’s not surprising to see how opponents struggle to stop their outside shooting barrages. The Celtics are strong shooters as well, with 41.8 3PA and 36.4 3P% per game this season, but the Hornets can outshoot any team in the NBA this season.
Another close battle that Charlotte hopes they can win is rebounding. They rank sixth in offensive rebounds per game, with 12.8 offensive rebounds per game. This is enabled by a hard-working five-man unit on the floor and the presence of role-playing big men like Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner, who play their role with maximum effort and focus. The Celtics rank seventh in offensive rebounds per game (12.6) this season, so they’ll have a task on their hands with stopping the Hornets on the glass.
The stakes of this game are important for the Celtics, but the Hornets are in a situation where even a single loss can have a negative outcome. The seeding battles from the No. 5 to No. 10 seeds in the East are brutal. The Hornets have been better than all their peers over the last three months, but they’re still two games behind No. 5. The consequence of a loss is much greater for Charlotte than Boston, so the franchise might be more motivated to take a positive result home.
X-Factors
Payton Pritchard has been one of the key reasons for the Celtics’ success, effortlessly migrating from being a starter to the team’s Sixth Man whenever required. He’s averaging 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this season, providing value on both ends despite being an undersized guard. The Celtics are 15-1 this season when Pritchard scores over 25 points, so they’ll be hoping for a big night from the 28-year-old guard.
Derrick White has proven himself as one of the best role-playing two-way guards in the NBA, with him averaging 16.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists this season. When he isn’t required to carry an offensive load, he’s arguably one of the best defenders in the NBA. The Celtics are finding their rhythm, but White is the glue holding them together, with his success consequently leading to the team’s success.
Brandon Miller is the wing presence that ties the entire Hornets offense together. He can attack as a primary ball-threat while also drawing defenders to him off-the-ball. His defensive activity has been a game-changer for the Hornets this season as well, with the former No. 2 overall pick averaging 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
Since an advantage on the glass could be a game-changing element in this clash, Moussa Diabate might be one of the biggest x-factors for the Hornets. The center is averaging 8.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks this season, and will aim to control the glass enough to keep players like Neemias Queta and Luka Garza away from creating extra possessions and beating them up like that.
Prediction
The Hornets might not have all the on-paper advantages to prove they’re the better team, but we will pick them to win this clash. The Hornets are well-equipped to push the Celtics into a rough night, as they did in their first clash of the season. Ultimately, this prediction shows faith in the young Hornets group to get a good result out of a must-win clash to move closer to their first Playoff appearance in eight years.
Prediction: Celtics 111, Hornets 121
