The 18-57 Nets will host the 39-36 Hornets tonight at 7:30 PM EST. The Hornets will be healthy, while the Nets have listed Jalen Wilson as Probable. They’ll unfortunately be without Egor Demin, Terance Mann, Michael Porter Jr., Day’Ron Sharpe, and Danny Wolf.
The Hornets are 18.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 219.5 points.
Nets vs. Hornets prediction, preview
Charlotte looks like the steadier team here. The Hornets are still fighting in the East play-in mix, and they’ve gone 3-2 over their last five after a much larger 28-13 surge that put them back in the picture. They’re posting 116.1 PPG and allowing 111.7. They are also eighth in opponent PPG allowed, tenth in opponent APG allowed, and first in opponent total rebounds allowed. And this is how this team wins games. The Hornets are not just relying on shotmaking, but rather they’re scooping up possessions, defending with enough structure, and giving their playmakers a stable platform. LaMelo Ball is still the playmaker, but he has some deadly auxiliary pieces in Brandon Miller (20.3 PPG), Moussa Diabate’s 8.7 RPG, and rookie sensation Kon Knueppel who’s been slashing historical numbers (.484/.433/.862) in his first season. The fit makes sense: LaMelo creates tempo and passing windows, Miller gives them a real scoring wing to finish possessions, and the supporting bigs and wings keep the game from becoming too guard dependent. What Charlotte can still improve is offensive discipline when the jumpers dry up, but against a thin Brooklyn group, the Hornets definitely have the better balance of creation, rebounding, and defensive control.
The Nets are 18-57 and only 1-4 in their last five, though they did just snap a 10-game skid with a win over Sacramento, if that amounts to anything. They’re scoring 106.3 PPG and allowing 115.4. They’re dead last in scoring, 29th in rebounding, and allowing 27.1 opponent APG with 53.2 opponent RPG. The roster availability is a big part of the problem. Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann, Egor Demin, and Danny Wolf are out, with Jalen Wilson listed as a game time decision, but ultimately probable. That leaves Brooklyn leaning even harder on younger pieces and patchwork creation. There is still some connective tissue here. The ball can move, Nolan Traore gives them a bit of organizing juice, and the recent Sacramento win showed they can get live performances from secondary pieces. Unfortunately, too many of the Nets’ good nights require several young players outperforming at once. The offense tends to run colder, the rebounding is poor in general, and the defense does not consistently hold together long enough against teams that can create advantages without forcing the issue. This is simply a young, inexperienced, and ugly Brooklyn team that’s going to try again next season.
Nets vs. Hornets pick, best Bet
Best Bet: CHA Hornets -17.5 (-108)
This is a vast spread tonight, but it’s difficult to see this going any other way besides a Hornets blowout. Charlotte has a functional roster and an actual game plan whereas the Nets are floundering around trying to race to the bottom of the standings. Brooklyn’s best and only chance to keep this game competitive is through unusually hot shooting, and if that’s your win condition, the outlook isn’t looking too good.
