Our ratings lean toward the Celtics at home against the Hornets on Saturday, January 23, at about 71%. That is a real edge, but the Hornets are far from out of it.
How the Win Meter reads
The Win Meter reads the Celtics 71%, with a projected score of Charlotte Hornets 111, Boston Celtics 117. The rating gap is 53 points in favor of the Celtics, and home court and rest add about 99 rating points for the Celtics on top of that.
A reading this high has real meaning, but upsets of this size happen. Nearly one game in 3 like it goes the other way.
Recent form
The Hornets are 2-1 this season and 3-2 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -13. The Celtics are 1-1 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -8.4.
The Hornets were beaten 128-81 at home by ATL not long ago.
The Celtics were beaten 113-97 at home by PHI not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Kylan Boswell (CHA), expected back Nov 2, 2026, Coby White (CHA), expected back Oct 26, 2026, Kon Knueppel (CHA), expected back Oct 26, 2026, Grant Williams (CHA), expected back Oct 30, 2026, and Devin Carter (BOS), expected back Nov 8, 2026.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Celtics lead 6-1, with the Celtics outscoring the Hornets by an average of 9.3 points per game. The last meeting was CHA 102, BOS 113.