The 2017 NBA preseason is wrapping up as the Regular Season arrives next week. Among the remaining exhibition games on the schedule will be a battle between the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina. The two teams each have debuted their newest personnel in previous exhibition games but will Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, or Dwight Howard play tonight? The game will get national television coverage for fans to enjoy. Here's the latest Celtics vs. Hornets game preview with all the details for how to watch on Wednesday night.
NBA game preview
Coming into tonight's game, the Boston Celtics have a 3-0 overall record in the preseason with one win on the road. While Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Al Horford have played in several exhibition games, all three players are listed on the injury report as "day-to-day" by the Celtics. The Celtics recorded back-to-back wins over the Philadelphia 76ers, as well as a 94-82 victory over the Hornets to start the preseason. However, the team had Irving, Hayward, and Horford all on the court for that win. Irving played 19 minutes, while Horford and Hayward played at least 16 each. Those three stars seem questionable for tonight's matchup.
The same can be said for a few key personnel on the Charlotte Hornets' roster.
Jeremy Lamb is listed as day-to-day as are Marcus Paige and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Michael Carter-Williams is out, as is Nicolas Batum, whom the Hornets lost to an unfortunate arm and elbow injury in a preseason game. Batum could be out for several months of the upcoming regular season. Charlotte is 1-2 for the preseason with their only win coming on the road against Detroit.
Tonight's game marks their first home game of the exhibition slate.
The 5Dimes online sportsbook has listed the visiting Boston Celtics as eight-point favorites on the point spread. They're also listed as -330 on the moneyline, while the Hornets are a +270 home underdog. The over/under points total is 203-1/2 points for the complete game.
How to watch it live
Wednesday night's Boston Celtics vs. Charlotte Hornets preseason game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. Eastern Time start. Live television coverage will be available to fans on the ESPN channel. For live streaming, cable and satellite subscribers can log into the WatchESPN web portal or WatchESPN compatible apps. These are available on various devices including the FireTV by Amazon, Apple TV, Roku, mobile phones, tablets, and select video game systems.
The SlingTV channel streaming service is also worth looking at as an option to stream tonight's game. ESPN is part of the basic channel package called Sling Blue. New customers can try out the service for a one-week free trial to see if they like it. More details are available at the Sling.com website.