Can the Boston Celtics defeat the Charlotte Hornets for the second straight time in two days?

Probably.

On Friday evening, the Celtics defeated the Hornets 2-3 on the road, 124-109. They'll be back at the Spectrum Center on Saturday for an encore beatdown.

As expected, Celtics All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led Boston. Tatum scored a game-high 32 points on 9 of 19 shooting from the floor (3 of 9 from deep) and 11 of 13 shooting from the foul line, while pulling down 11 rebounds, dishing out three steals, dishing out the ball, throwing three dimes and one shot fend off. Brown scored 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the floor and 9-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe (let's not talk about his 0-of-6 night from deep), grabbed six boards, dished out five dimes , grabbed a steal and blocked a shot.

All-defensive guards Jrue Holiday (14 points) and Derrick White (17 points) scored in double figures, while reserve Neemias Queta (12 points) had a more effective offensive night than third center Luke Kornet, who went 1-1 had been given the starting role in the absence of Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.

The action begins at 6:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston locally and via League Pass elsewhere.

Unfortunately, Boston will be without Brown tonight, who is sidelined with a hip flexor strain, according to the league's latest injury report.

However, Horford is no longer listed on Boston's injury report. Porzingis, of course, continues to recover from his left posterior tibial tendon surgery. Sharpshooter Sam Hauser is available due to his lower back injury. After Queta's big night on Friday, one wonders if he might score more runs than Kornet behind Horford.

Even without their second and probably third best players in Brown and Porzingis, the Celtics are still double-digit favorites to win again. According to The Action Network, the spread for Boston is currently -10.5 points.

Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball had a great night, scoring 31 points on 12 of 25 shooting (5 of 14 from distance) in the loss. But his passing was lackluster as he handed out four dimes against four turnovers.

But Hornets forward Brandon Miller, who was sidelined Friday with a left glute strain, is available to play today. He and Miles Bridges are Ball's best offensive outlets. If one of the players runs into trouble, they could at least keep the margin closer than the projected range. Celtics 120, Hornets 112.

The biggest story from Friday night's game was former Celtic player Grant Williams' apparent 2-point foul on Tatum when he shoulder-checked his old teammate and sent him to the ground. Other old Boston comrades and retired Celtics had a lot to say about the unsportsmanlike conduct.

Read more: Former Celtics champion calls Grant Williams out for a flagrant foul

Of course, all eyes will be on Grant and Tatum to see what happens in this follow-up game.

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