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The Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers are two teams currently well established in the playoff race in each of their respective conferences. The Clippers host the Hornets in LA when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George take on LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward. Let's breakdown the teams and continue the NBA odds series and make a Hornets-Clippers prediction and pick.
The Hornets have been the surprise darling of the NBA and this is thanks in large part to the play of star rookie LaMelo Ball. The Hornets have been one of the best passing teams in the NBA. James Borrego runs a system predicated on movement; both ball and player. Ball, Hayward, Devonte Graham, and PJ Washington are all great passers for their position and this contributes to that passing arsenal.
The Clippers have fallen to 4th in the west and are only a half-game ahead of the Nuggets to hold onto home court advantage in the playoffs. The Clippers will need to turn up the play if they plan on keeping their playoff spot and gain a home-court advantage. A win against a solid Hornets team would help boost them up.
NBA Odds: Hornets-Clippers Odds
Charlotte Hornets +9.5 (-112)
Los Angeles Clippers -9.5 (-108)
Over 111 (-115)
Under 111 (-115)
Why The Hornets Could Cover
This line requires to Clippers to win by 10 and the Hornets are not a team that gets blown out often this year. Their passing is also the type of think that could cause trouble for the Clippers defense. The Clippers are a team that likes to switch and hedge the pick and roll and try to dare teams to isolate against them.
The Hornets are third to last in the league in isolation possessions and they tend to find open shooters and cutters consistently. Manufacturing these good lucks are paramount to cover the spread.
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The Hornets have great depth in Graham, Washington, Rozier, Malik Monk to compliment Ball and Hayward. This should bode well for them against a stingy team in the Clippers.
Why The Clippers Could Cover
The Clippers have the ability to blow any team out because their offense is elite. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard could each go for 40 on any night of the week, and their defensive intensity could lead teams to wither and end up in a blow-out. The Clippers are atop the league in offensive rating, while the Hornets are far from defensive stalwarts.
Serge Ibaka is questionable with a back injury. He's missed the last two games, but if he does return to the court tonight, it will only help the Clippers' defensive prowess. In his absence center, Ivica Zubac has played more minutes and contributed considerably. He's averaged 14.5 points over his last two games to go with 9 rebounds.
The Hornets might not have enough bodies to throw at Kawhi and PG and it could lead to an offensive barrage that the Hornets can't keep up with.
Final Clippers-Hornets Prediction
The Hornets should cover the spread pretty easily here. I think the Hornets will stay well within the 10 points threshold and quite possibly even win this game. This isn't the Hornets team from last year that couldn't string together a couple wins, this is a bona fide playoff team that could cause the Clippers a lot of trouble. This is a solid bet for the Hornets.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: LAC 121 – CHA 117 (CHA +9.5)
