2 min read • February 10, 2023
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This matchup between two teams at opposite ends of the Eastern Conference standings features the lower seed as the healthier side. Charlotte enters the contest on a 5-game losing streak, while Boston is 4-1 in their last 5 games.
Charlotte’s main absence is flashy forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who has been ruled out for the 21st straight contest since undergoing surgery on his left hand in early January.
Oubre was originally projected to miss 4-to-6 weeks and appears to be fitting that timetable.
This week marks four weeks since surgery, meaning he should begin ramping up for a return in the next week or so.
Role player Cody Martin has played just 7 games this season and will miss another contest with left knee soreness. Martin averaged a career-best 7.7 points and 4 rebounds in 71 games last season.
The Hornets (15-41) are currently the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte went 10-25 (.285) with Oubre in the lineup this season and have gone 5-16 (.238) without him.
The No. 1 team in the East is limping into the All-Star break, with two key starters sidelined due to injury.
Marcus Smart will miss his ninth straight game with a right ankle sprain, while Jaylen Brown is missing his first game since suffering a facial fracture from a Jayson Tatum elbow.
Details have yet to emerge on Brown’s facial fracture. By video, it appeared to be a zygomatic arch fracture. If the fracture is nondisplaced, he likely won’t require surgery.
Either way, it would be a surprise to see him return before the All-Star break. When he does play, he will wear a mask for protection.
The Celtics have gone 9-5 without Smart in the lineup this season, but will be playing their first game without Brown and Smart.
Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White should see the biggest boost in playing time with those two out.
Brodgon is probable with right Achilles soreness, while Robert Williams III will be active and Al Horford is questionable with right knee swelling.
Boston is favored by 11 points at home and the over/under is 225.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Derrick White’s over/under points prop is 15.5.
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