The final day of February brings a five-game NBA slate with relatively slim pickings as far as matchups go. However, an early tip-off at 1 p.m. EST kicks things off with a fun showdown between the Portland Trail Blazers and a Charlotte Hornets squad that’s been one of the best in the league since January 1. With plenty of young players on display, there’s a lot to like about this one.
Here’s a Trail Blazers vs. Hornets prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday’s game.
Trail Blazers vs. Hornets prediction, preview
Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers have arguably become the definition of “middle of the pack” this season. At 29-31, they’re too good to fall out of the Play-In Tournament entirely but remain too bad to push their way much further up the standings from ninth in the Western Conference, but the injury to Deni Avdija has left the team in an even worse place. They’re 2-2 since the All-Star break and the star remains doubtful to play on Saturday.
In the big picture, Portland’s -2.3 NETRTG places the group 20th in the stat while playing at the eighth-highest pace. The offense shows flashes of potential with 115.9 PPG, but the OFFRTG craters from 115.8 with Avdija on the court to 106.7 with him off. Overall, the Trail Blazers produce 24.8 assists with the league’s worst AST/TO ratio (1.438) and their 17.2 turnovers per game are also a league-high. They shoot only 45.2% from the field, third-worst, and a 33.9% three-point percentage is second-worst in the NBA as well. Now, they do rebound the ball at an elite rate with 45.8 per contest, but that doesn’t quite make up for a poor defense allowing 118.2 PPG to opponents.
With Avdija doubtful and Shaedon Sharpe sidelined for multiple weeks, the Trail Blazers are down their two leading scorers. Jerami Grant now sits tops on the team with 18.8 points, followed by Jrue Holiday with 15.5 points and what’s now a team-high 6.3 assists. The unit should lean heavily on the veterans, but Scoot Henderson has averaged 13.6 points and 5.0 assists in a limited sample this season. While he’s questionable to play with an illness, Donovan Clingan produces an 11.9-point, 11.5-rebound double-double as a premier young center. Toumani Camara also averages 13.1 PPG as a two-way option.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are a very curious case, to say the least. Prior to January 1, they were only 11-22 and on the outside looking in at the postseason picture. Since that date, they’re a shocking 18-9 and have clawed their way to 29-31 at 10th in the Eastern Conference. Things are seriously looking up moving forward in Charlotte.
This team now sits 10th in NETRTG at +2.9 and 25th overall in pace. However, the Hornets actually lead the league in NETRTG since 2026 began with a +10.3 mark, tying with the conference-leading Pistons. They’re 12th in scoring with 116.2 PPG, dishing out 26.6 assists with the 24th-ranked AST/TO ratio (1.687). While shooting only 46.1% overall, the unit is hitting threes at the third-best rate (37.8%) with the fourth-most attempts and second-most makes from distance. The Hornets are also fourth in rebounding with 46.1 boards per game and have seen significant defensive improvement, now ranking 10th with 113.4 PPG allowed to opponents.
While lacking a true alpha scorer, Charlotte is well-built to get contributions from a variety of players. Brandon Miller’s 20.9 points are a team-best, while rookie standout Kon Knueppel posts 19.4 while shooting a blazing 44.2% from three and recently breaking the three-pointers record for first-year pros. LaMelo Ball’s efficiency hasn’t rebounded, but he still remains the primary facilitator with 19.4 points and 7.3 assists as well. Miles Bridges scores 17.9 points, while Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate are the leading rebounders. The Hornets also saw Coby White make his debut for the team two games ago, though he’s playing limited minutes due to injury recovery.
Trail Blazers vs. Hornets pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Hornets as -8.5 home favorites today with -340 odds on the Moneyline. The Trail Blazers are listed at +270 on the ML with the game total set at 229.5 combined points.
Portland is already in a difficult spot with Avdija and Sharpe out, but if Clingan misses, this game may be over before it begins. He’s one of relatively few bright spots for the Trail Blazers lately as an undeniable paint presence, but his absence would leave the team severely undermanned in the rebounding department as well.
Regardless of the center’s status though, I like Charlotte to cover the spread on Saturday. The Hornets are simply a good basketball team these days and are strong in most aspects of the game. Couple their range of high-end contributors with a struggling Portland group a poor defense while down its two best scorers, and the math on this one feels easy enough. With the Hornets 37-23 ATS and 11-7 as a favorite, they’re in a great spot here.
Top pick: CHA Hornets -8.5 (-105)
