Another game, another defensive-minded opponent for the Hornets. But hey, after beating the Bobcats and dropping 117 on the Magic, New Orleans ain’t scurred. Final game before the Mardi Gras All-Star break, tipping at 7 Central.

The Celtics are 32-17 on the season, 17-8 on the road, but have gone just 9-12 since beating the Magic on Christmas Day. As a result, there are trade rumors galore.

Boston have a trio of All-Stars in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo, but Garnett has been struggling (13ppg, 6.3rpg since returning from injury last month) while Pierce has been battling a foot injury (though he will reportedly play tonight). Rondo has been brilliant of late however, averaging 19 and 12 in the C’s last five games.

The Celtics last played on Sunday, imploding in the third quarter and losing 89-96 to the Magic in Boston. The C’s last met the Hornets back on November 1, winning 97-87 behind 27 points from Pierce. Peja Stojakovic led New Orleans in that one with 26 points off the bench.

The Hornets will have Marcus Thornton back for tonight’s game, hoping his return helps snap a four-game home losing streak. On Monday, the Hornets scored 70 points in the first half in Orlando, but eventually fell to the Magic.

Numbers:

Pace: Celtics 93.7 (24th), Hornets 94.4 (20th)
Offensive Efficiency: Celtics 105.4 (13th), Hornets 105.1 (14th)
Defensive Efficiency: Celtics 99.1 (1st), Hornets 105.9 (20th)

Linkage:

• Earlier on the blog: Ryan blames Morris Peterson
• Lagniappe: Rookie diaries, Dirk prefers Deron, Hollinger criticizes Posey
  
• Rival bloggers: CelticsBlog | CelticsHub.com (THN) | RedsArmy.com

(Many thanks to Dariusz for today’s banner featuring Larry Johnson, one of the main reasons I became a Hornets fan way back when. Be sure to check out more of Dariusz’s designs in our Wallpapers vault.)