Thursday night brings some interesting interconference matchups around the Association, so I’ve prepared the best betting pick for the Charlotte Hornets vs. New Orleans Pelicans showdown at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans along with the latest odds update on Sugarhouse Sportsbook.
Charlotte has lost six of its last seven encounters with the Pelicans, but the Hornets escaped with a win from their last visit to New Orleans two seasons ago. These two foes met each other just once last season, and the Pelicans outlasted the Hornets 115-110 as 1.5-point road dogs.
The Hornets look to wrap up a four-game road trip on a high note
The Charlotte Hornets (3-5; 3-5 ATS) started their four-game journey with a couple of tough losses at the Philadelphia 76ers, 127-112 and 118-101, but they bounced back last Wednesday, beating the Atlanta Hawks 102-94 as 6-point road underdogs.
Gordon Hayward helped the Hornets to snap their skid with career-high 44 points. Charlotte almost blew a 24-point lead, shooting just 37.6% from the field and 30.6% from beyond the arc, but the Hawks had an even worse shooting night.
In his first season with the Hornets, Hayward is posting 21.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. Terry Rozier average 20.6 points and 31. Boards, while LaMelo Ball adds 12.1 points and 4.9 assists a night. Charlotte scores just 104.4 points per 100 possessions (27th in the NBA) and surrenders 107.7 in a return (13th).
The Pelicans will close down a four-game homestand
The New Orleans Pelicans (4-4; 3-5 ATS) have dropped two straight games, suffering a 118-116 overtime loss to Indiana as 1.5-point favorites and a 111-110 defeat to Oklahoma City as 8-point favorites. Hereof, the Pels desperately want to close down their four-game homestand in a strong fashion.
New Orleans had a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter, but the Pelicans still had a chance to beat the Thunder. Anyway, they shot only 18.2% from beyond the 3-point line while surrendering 27 fast break points.
Brandon Ingram leads the way for the Pels with 24.9 points, 7.0 boards, and 5.5 assists per game, while Zion Williamson adds 21.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. New Orleans tallies 106.2 points per 100 possessions (22nd) and yields 104.6 in a return (4th).
[metabet_core_odds_compare query=”nba/pelicans” size=”300×250″ site_id=”atsio” css=”float:right; margin-left:10px”]Trends:
Charlotte:
- 1-4 ATS in the last five games played in January
New Orleans:
- 5-2 ATS in the last seven games against Charlotte
The Winner Prediction
Under Stan Van Gundy, the Pels average just 99.2 possessions per 48 minutes. They’ve struggled offensively thus far, but the Pelicans’ defense has been surprisingly good. I expect them to continue with hard work and shut down the Hornets on the home court.
Charlotte will try to speed up the tempo, as the Hornets average 102.1 possessions per 48 minutes, but they are a bad offensive team. The Hornets surpassed a 102-point mark only once in their last four outings.
Pick: Take New Orleans -6.5 at -110
The Total:
As I’ve said, both Charlotte and New Orleans have a lot of offensive issues at the start of the season. In case that Charlotte manages to speed up things, we could get a high-scoring affair, but I have to bet on the under.
Even if we get an up-tempo contest, both teams will have to execute very well offensively to combine for 217 or more points. New Orleans is 17th in the league in field goal percentage (45.2), while Charlotte is 27th (43.4). Still, the Pelicans to cover remains my top betting pick here.
Pick: Go under 216.5 points at -110