It is officially a new month, and the NBA has made it past its first full week. Some teams' identities are clearly on display, while others are still figuring out lineups, substitutions, shuffling injuries, and tuning their team for the season.

There is a representative from each of those categories in today’s featured game between the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets. The Celtics are who we thought they were, and the Hornets are dealing with injuries and attempting to set their lineup and rotations.

 

 

 

Boston Celtics: What It Takes

Aerosmith’s guitarist and back-up vocals are from Boston, and they have an album called Pump. On that album is a track titled UI… and the Boston Celtics knows What it Takes to be the best. Part of that is bounce backs after a tough loss.

In fact, the Boston Celtics have not lost back-to-back games in almost a calendar year. January 11, 2024, was their last loss in consecutive games. They should have a goal of getting ahead early and maintaining a lead throughout the game. They will be playing against a high scoring offense for the second game in a row too, they know they must keep the pace.

 

 

 

Charlotte Hornets: Taking It Out

Da Baby is from Charlotte and his debut song from his first album is titled Taking it Out. That is what the Hornets have been doing with LaMelo Ball, Seth Curry, and Tre Mann. They have been putting up points and LaMelo Ball is back to being an elite guard. By the way if you get a chance, look at LaMelo Ball being set up and scared with a clown yesterday. It’s worth a good laugh.

Charlotte is a team in a rebuild, but they have been playing better. Mann and Ball each are scoring more than 20 points a game, and Nick Richard is earning nearly 12 rebounds per game. They will score in both the front court and back court in today’s game, which should lead to a high scoring game.

 

 

 

Boston Celtics Starting Lineup

Charlotte Hornets Starting Lineup

 

 

 

Celtics vs. Hornets Predictions & Picks Today: Friday, November 1st

Total O231.5 (-115 on BetMGM) & Tatum O42.5 PRA (BOOSTED +135 on DraftKings)

The total for this game seems a bit low, but I understand why sportsbooks have set it at this level. The Celtics give up an average of 114.4 points per game, while the Hornets allow 119.3 points. Combined, that totals 233.7 points, slightly above the current line. 

However, Boston has seen the total go under in 8 of their last 11 games, excluding their recent win against the Pacers where they scored 132 points but still lost. In Charlotte's last outing, they managed to score 138 points, narrowly defeating the Toronto Raptors. 

Tonight, both teams are likely to disregard their defensive strategies, turning this matchup into a high-scoring affair. Expect a fast-paced game with plenty of scoring opportunities. If you're considering other bets for this matchup, steer clear of the under on most props, as this could very well be the highest-scoring game of the day.

DraftKings has a special titled ‘King of the Court’ that renews every day. The boost is good for any personal stat on a player, but to be eligible for the ‘King of the Court’ bonus you must place it on a player's combined points, rebounds, and assists (PRA). If you choose the player with the highest PRA, you get a share of $1,000,000!

The million is divided amongst the people that chose that person too. This boost can be utilized on any player that plays tonight, but Fantasy Alarm is on Jayson Tatum. He has one of the highest set PRA lines across all games, and Tatum is the captain of the Celtics. 

He knows ‘What it Takes’ to get back on track… effort. Look for him to lead with example tonight against the Hornets and cover his PRA. Hopefully the most amongst all players.

 

 
 

 

Bet Smart, Be Lucky -Iggy-