The Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets meet at the Time Warner Cable Arena on Oct. 6, Thursday to continue their campaign in the ongoing 2016-2017 NBA Preseason Games.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
The game would be the second for both squads as they have already previously opened their preseason stints against different teams.
Boston dropped a close 92-89 match versus the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center to begin the preseason with a loss.
Head coach Brad Stevens had his starters play only limited minutes with Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder on the floor for only 19 minutes each. Thomas had 11 points on 3-for-7 shooting, but he was perfect from the foul line and behind the arc.
Shooting guard Avery Bradley played 18 minutes and contributed 11 points and a game-high six assists.
New signing Al Horford and Amir Johnson started up front and had 15 minutes each. Horford scored eight points and grabbed a game-high eight boards, shooting 4-for-8 from the field.
Point guard Marcus Smart, who is the subject of several trade rumors during the summer, came off the bench to score 10 points, shooting 5 of 10 field goals but was 0-for-3 from beyond the three-point line. He also had three boards and three assists in 26 minutes of play.
Horford looked like a good fit in Coach Stevens' system as well as with his new teammates. He meshed well with Johnson on both ends of the floor as the team's two bigs inside.
Meanwhile, the Hornets also lost their opening game with a 95-88 defeat in the hands of the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center on Monday.
Newly-acquired center Roy Hibbert was dominant despite the loss, scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds in only 22 minutes of play. Forwards Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist fired eight points and grabbed five boards each in 23 and 24 minutes of playing time respectively.
Nicolas Batum started at the shooting guard spot and scored nine points also in 23 minutes. Ramos Session started at point guard as Kemba Walker is still sidelined because of a left knee injury
Prediction
Walker is still not expected to play and the Hornets will continue to give enough playing time for their other starters to gel. The team misses Jeremy Lin, who is now with the Brooklyn Nets, as Sessions was not effective. Boston is predicted to win in this match with Horford expected to dominate once more.
