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RJ Barrett and the New York Knicks will open up a three-game road trip Wednesday night against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets. In their last matchup on Jan. 17, the Hornets defeated the Knicks 97-87 at Madison Square Garden. Miles Bridges led both teams with 38 points (14-20 FG, 5-9 3pt) and 12 rebounds. The Hornets are seven-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 226.5.
Knicks vs. Hornets, 7:00 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Hornets -7
The Knicks enter tonight’s game on a two-game losing skid after losing 117-111 to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. New York did not have Julius Randle, who was out with an injury. That meant Barrett had to carry the scoring load for the Knicks. The former Duke standout had a team-high 30 points, to go along with 13 rebounds, and five assists.
New York will hope to have Randle back in the starting lineup tonight. The Knicks have lost two consecutive games on the road, but are 5-0 against in the spread in their last five road games. Along those same lines, New York is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games and 6-3 ATS in the second game of a back-to-back.
The Hornets are one of the hottest teams in the league as they are currently on a five-game winning streak. Charlotte is averaging 125.4 points per game and defeating teams by 14.8 points per game in their last five. The Hornets are 4-1 ATS in their last five games, but 4-12-1 in their last 17 home games. However, they are 9-8 as a home favorite this season.
Over/Under: Over 227
In their first two matchups this season, the total points scored were 200 and 184. The total has gone over in 12 of the Knicks’ last 18 games, while the total has gone over in five of the Hornets’ last 10 games.
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