Bobcats at Celtics
The Charlotte Bobcats are winners of five straight and are making a run at the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics, who host the Bobcats on Friday, are losers of nine in a row and are making a run at the third-worst record in the league. Charlotte is tied with the Washington Wizards for the No. 6 spot and the right to avoid the Indiana Pacers or the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.
The Celtics are finding ways to give up leads nearly every game at this point, leaving coach Brad Stevens searching for answers. Boston was up nine with just over five minutes left in Atlanta on Wednesday and ended up dropping a 105-97 decision as the team once again went through a series of defensive lapses down the stretch. The Bobcats are winning in large part because they avoid defense lapses, but also because former Celtic Al Jefferson has made the leap into one of the best post players in the league.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Charlotte), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (40-38): Jefferson put up 20 points and 18 rebounds in a key 94-88 overtime win at Washington on Wednesday — his fifth straight double-double. That victory gave the Bobcats the head-to-head tiebreaker with a 3-1 season series win over the Wizards. “I just like the way we fought,” coach Steve Clifford told reporters. “Again, they had us on our heels, things were going against us, and we found a way to dig in defensively and make enough plays on offense.” Charlotte is holding opponents to 89.8 points during the five-game winning streak.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (23-55): Boston is tied with the Orlando Magic for the third-worst record in the league and is looking ahead to the future. “I’m going to try to blow off some fireworks, but I have to be patient as well and we have to make sure that we don’t do deals just to do deals,” president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told 98.5 the Sports Hub in a radio interview on Thursday of his offseason plans. “We have to do the right deals. Those are a lot harder than most people think or believe or understand.” Part of that offseason plan is centered around the June draft, and the Celtics’ losing streak is putting them in a better position in the draft lottery.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The road team has taken each of the first two meetings this season, with the Bobcats grabbing an 89-83 victory in Boston on Nov. 13.
2. Charlotte G Kemba Walker is struggling to 31 percent from the field over the last five games.
3. Boston G Rajon Rondo is averaging 14 assists in his last two games.