The best thing you can say about the 2024-25 season for the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets is that it’s over. They each made some significant additions through the draft and are hoping another year of growth can move things in the right direction. Wednesday’s season opener brings a lot of exciting team debuts and hope for their fans.
The Hornets are 5.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re priced at -192 on the moneyline, while the Nets are +160 road underdogs. The total for this game is set at 228.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction and pick for this Hornets vs. Nets game.
Hornets vs. Nets prediction, preview
So far, it’s a rare clean bill of health for the Charlotte Hornets. They’re hoping for more availability from LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, Charlotte’s top two scoring options. Another name that will be in that mix is the fourth overall pick Kon Knueppel; the Duke product could add a new dimension of scoring they haven’t seen before. He’s looked strong in Summer League and preseason, and they could have a scoring triumvirate on their hands.
How this group meshes together will be fascinating. But I’m excited to watch it happen.
Brooklyn has a whole other degree of “figuring things out” to do. It managed to add a whopping five first-round picks to the roster in the 2025 Draft: Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf. It’s a tall task for head coach Jordi Fernandez to figure out how to piece this together. But the team has some dependable enough pieces like Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton to stabilize things. Still, it could be a long and trying year in Brooklyn.
Hornets vs. Nets pick, best bet
It feels strange to call the Charlotte Hornets stable and consistent relative to any team, but this Nets team was not built to be good. The Hornets do make a habit of tripping over themselves, but they have an All-Star talent and some high-level scorers alongside a few proven rotation pieces. It’s a lot more than Brooklyn can boast. I’m taking the Hornets to start their season off on the right foot.
