Final: Celtics 127, Hornets 116 - Tatum closes things out after big lead shrinks

Game 56: Celtics (-10.5) vs. Charlotte Hornets, 7:30 p.m., ESPN/NBCS Boston

Injuries: 

Boston: OUT- Danilo Gallinari, Marcus Smart (ankle), Jaylen Brown (face)

QUESTIONABLE- Al Horford (knee)

PROBABLE- Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles), Jayson Tatum (non-COVID illness)

Charlotte: OUT- Cody Martin (knee), Kelly Oubre (hand), Svi Mykhailiuk (not with team), Reggie Jackson (not with team)

Hornets probable starters: LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Mark Williams, PJ Washington, Gordon Hayward

Refs: Zach Zarba (#15), Brent Barnaky (#36), Dedric Taylor (#21)

Last time they played: Celtics 130, Hornets 118, January 16 - The Celtics opened up a 13-point lead after the first quarter thanks to a monster first from Jayson Tatum in all phases of the game. Malcolm Brogdon and the bench unit came in and added to the lead while Tatum sat until mid-way through the quarter. But the Hornets got hot and cut a 17-point lead down to 6, but Boston carried an 11-point lead into the half. Both teams went back and forth in the third, and a late Charlotte run got it to six heading into the fourth. Their run continued, cutting the lead down to 2, but Tatum was too good, dropping 51 en route to their seventh straight win.

A little something about this game: The Hornets are 8-24 on the road and come into this game on a five-game losing streak (four of them road games). Jalen McDaniels had 26 against Boston in their last meeting, but he has been traded to Philadelphia. Mason Plumlee was traded to Charlotte. Neither player they received in return is active.

How Boston wins: I assume they're going to sell out to try to stop Tatum, so it will probably be up to the other guys to a similar degree as the win over Philly. The Hornets have even less help around the rim, so if Boston doesn’t just attack mercilessly, then there's an issue. 

How Charlotte wins: Hayward will have to show out in front of his former team. Charlotte is the worst shooting team in the league, so they’ll have to get abnormally hot. Maybe if the Celtics slack after a huge win over Philly and ahead of a big Sunday afternoon game against Memphis, the Hornets will get open enough looks to keep this close and steal it at the end.

Things I’m looking for:

- Post deadline relief: Anyone who might have been worried about what would have happened at the deadline can breathe easy and understand they have this role the rest of the season. It probably only applies to a couple of players, but the vibes permeate the locker room.

- Focus: I’m actually not mad that they're shorthanded because that will lead to some better focus from the guys who don’t normally get as much opportunity. But they do need to focus overall as a group to keep this little roll of theirs going. 

- Mike Muscala's debut: He's here, he's active, he's dressed to play. We'll see how much he plays, but he's ready to go. 

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.