WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

03/29 01:03 CDT Boston takes on Charlotte, aims for 50th victory of season Boston takes on Charlotte, aims for 50th victory of season By The Associated Press Boston Celtics (49-24, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (39-35, 10th in the Eastern Conference) Charlotte, North Carolina; Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Celtics -1.5; over/under is 215.5 BOTTOM LINE: Boston will look for its 50th win of the season when the Celtics visit the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are 23-23 in Eastern Conference games. Charlotte ranks eighth in the league with 33.5 defensive rebounds per game led by Moussa Diabate averaging 5.0. The Celtics are 30-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston ranks third in the league averaging 15.2 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 36.1% from downtown. Derrick White leads the team averaging 2.8 makes while shooting 32.3% from 3-point range. The Hornets average 16.4 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.5 more made shots on average than the 13.9 per game the Celtics give up. The Celtics average 15.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.4 more made shots on average than the 12.8 per game the Hornets allow. The teams play for the second time this season. In the last meeting on March 5 the Hornets won 118-89 led by 20 points from Kon Knueppel, while White scored 29 points for the Celtics. TOP PERFORMERS: LaMelo Ball is averaging 19.7 points and 7.1 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 18.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists over the past 10 games. Payton Pritchard is shooting 45.7% and averaging 16.9 points for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum is averaging 2.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 7-3, averaging 117.3 points, 46.3 rebounds, 25.5 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.5 points per game. Celtics: 7-3, averaging 111.5 points, 47.7 rebounds, 24.1 assists, 6.1 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.3 points. INJURIES: Hornets: Liam McNeeley: day to day (illness), Tidjane Salaun: day to day (calf). Celtics: Jaylen Brown: day to day (calf), Neemias Queta: day to day (thumb), Jayson Tatum: day to day (achilles), Derrick White: day to day (knee), Nikola Vucevic: out (finger). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.