Teams with plenty to play for meet on Saturday when the Charlotte Hornets host the Boston Celtics. The Hornets (32-39) need a strong finish if they are going to make the Eastern Conference playoffs, while the Celtics (43-29) try to move into the top four of the conference to secure home court advantage in the first round. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. ET from the Spectrum Center. Boston has won two of the three meetings this season, both at home. This time around, Boston is a 3.5-point favorite in the latest Celtics vs. Hornets odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 222. Before making any Celtics vs. Hornets picks of your own, you need to see the NBA predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, is crushing its NBA picks. It entered Week 23 of the 2018-19 NBA season with a sterling 253-195 record on all top-rated picks, returning well over $4,000 to anybody following them. And it has been particularly red-hot on its A-rated NBA picks against the spread, entering Week 23 on a strong 59-44 run. Anybody who has followed it is way up.

Now the model has dialed in on Celtics vs. Hornets. We can tell you it is leaning under, but it's also generated a very strong against the spread pick that cashes in well over 60 percent of simulations. That one is available exclusively at SportsLine.

The model knows the Celtics, fifth in the East and third in the Atlantic, are just half-a-game behind Indiana for the 4-seed in the conference. Boston is 29-14 against conference foes and 6-4 in the last 10. The Celtics have a distinct advantage in several areas. Boston is fourth (plus-5) in scoring differential compared to Charlotte, which is 20th at minus-1.1. The Celtics are sixth in 3-point percentage (.364), while the Hornets are 21st (.349). And Boston is sixth in assists at 26.4 compared to Charlotte, which is 23rd at just 22.9.

Guard Kyrie Irving scored 36 at Philadelphia on Wednesday and is averaging 31.8 points over his last four games. He had 27 points at Charlotte in the first meeting on Nov. 19, while adding 25 against the Hornets on Dec. 23. Forward Jayson Tatum is averaging 19 against Charlotte this season.

But just because Boston has been dominant in the series as of late doesn't guarantee it will cover the Celtics vs. Hornets spread on Saturday. 

That's because the Hornets play well at home, where they are 22-15. Charlotte is also 24-22 against the East and snapped a two-game losing streak on Thursday with a 113-106 victory over visiting Minnesota. Guard Kemba Walker, the franchise's leading scorer with 11,682 points, had 31 against the Timberwolves. He had a huge game against the Celtics earlier this season, scoring 43 on Nov. 19, one game after lighting up the 76ers for 60.

Who wins Hornets vs. Celtics? And which side of the spread hits in well over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Hornets vs. Celtics spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $4,000 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.