NBA

Spread & Over/Under Predictions: Hornets Hit the Big Apple

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2 weeks ago

December 5, 2024

Admin

Spread & Over/Under Predictions: Hornets Hit the Big Apple

The Hornets (6-15) hit the road for the Big Apple on Thursday to take on the host New York Knicks (13-8).

The injury bug has reared its ugly head once again this season for the Hornets with key players like LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Tre Mann, and Grant Williams set to miss this matchup. A silver-lining is that Mark Williams made his season debut on Tuesday after just short of a calendar year missed due to injury.

Losers of their last six games- including a 99-98 NBA Cup loss to the Knicks last Friday- Charlotte needs all the help it can get to salvage what was a once-promising season.

On the other side, the Knicks enter the matchup having won eight of their last ten games, including a current three-game win streak. Boasting one of the most talented starting lineups in the entire NBA, New York is a team that has lots of options for finding the path of least resistance to pick apart their opponents each game.

Here are my picks for tonight’s game. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

1 Star – Not very confident
2 Star – A little confident
3 Star – Fairly confident
4 Star – Very confident
5 Star – Should be a lock to happen

1-star play on the Hornets (+14.5): The Hornets are rightfully large underdogs in this game. However, 14.5 points is a significant line, considering all of the Hornets who are missing this game were out last week when the Hornets lost by only a single point.

Now to be fair, Charlotte probably played New York much closer than they had any business doing last time around. Mark Williams and Nick Richards are back though which provides a huge relief in the frontcourt. That has to count for something, right?

The underdogs certainly provide the value here, but stomaching the pick could prove difficult if New York seizes the talent gap of the matchup.

3-star play on the under: The Hornets and Knicks play at the 26th and 27th-fastest paces in the NBA respectively, but the Knicks boast the most efficient offense in the NBA with a 121.0 offensive rating.

The Hornets holding up their end of the deal with 102 implied points is a genuinely tough ask with this lineup though, and New York might not have the incentive to hold up their end if the game is squarely in their control.

The under is clearly the preference after last week’s matchup. Confidence caps out at three stars though due to the potential for the Knicks to drag this one to the over against Charlotte’s will.

My picks this season:

ATS: 11-4 (73.3%)

O/U: 8-7 (53.3%)

Overall: 19-11 (63.3%)

Odds Disclaimer

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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