The NBA will celebrate New Year's Day with a full slate of games beginning with this first cross-conference tilt. The Golden State Warriors (17-16) will visit the Charlotte Hornets (11-21) as the two teams open their season series against each other. Check our NBA odds series for the Warriors-Hornets prediction and pick.
The Golden State Warriors are eighth in the Western Conference following their most recent 210-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets. After posting a three-game losing skid, they've won four of their last five games and will look for their first win over Charlotte as sizable betting favorites on the road.
The Charlotte Hornets are 12th in the Eastern Conference, most recently falling 123-113 at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite a 6-4 record over their last 10 games, they're still 10 games below .500 and will have to make up some serious ground if they want to save their season early.
NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings
Warriors vs. Hornets Odds
Golden State Warriors: -7.5 (-102)
Charlotte Hornets: +7.5 (-118)
Over: 233.5 (-108)
Under: 233.5 (-112)
Warriors vs. Hornets Key Injuries
Golden State: Seth Curry (sciatic – OUT)
Charlotte: Kon Knueppel (ankle – Probable) / Miles Bridges (ankle – Questionable) / Pat Connaughton (ankle – Questionable) / Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow – OUT) / Mason Plumlee (groin – OUT) / Grant Williams (knee – OUT)
Warriors vs. Hornets Betting Trends
- The Charlotte Hornets are 7-9 at home. The Golden State Warriors are 7-12 on the road.
- The Hornets are 17-15 ATS overall, 9-7 ATS at home. The Warriors are 16-17 ATS overall, 8-11 ATS on the road.
- The Warriors are 13-10 as betting favorites. The Hornets are 9-19 as underdogs.
- The Warriors have gone 7-3 outright, 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games against the Hornets.
- The Hornets are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games.
- The total has gone OVER in four of the Warriors' last five games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 12 of the Hornets' last 16 games.
Keys to Warriors vs. Hornets Matchup
As these two squads prepare to meet for the first time this season, the Charlotte Hornets are coming into this matchup with a number of injuries to their starting rotation. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been unavailable throughout stretches of this season, opening the door for Moussa Diabate to earn some valuable minutes in relief. Rookie Kon Kneuppel is also day-to-day with an injury and veteran Miles Bridges is ‘questionable' with an ankle injury ahead of this one.
On the bright side, franchise point guard LaMelo Ball has been healthy this season and running the offense with the ball in his hands. However, with just 20.0 PPG on the season thus far, he's seeing his lowest yearly scoring mark since his sophomore 2021 season. The regression in scoring has certainly had an effect on the team as a whole, ranking in the league's bottom 12 in terms of points per game (115.5). They'll need players like Josh Green and Collin Sexton to make significant contributions off the bench if they want an upset win at home.
The Golden State Warriors will be a tough opponent, however, and they've won they last five consecutive games against this Charlotte Hornets team. Steph Curry continues to have another career season as he ranks ninth in the NBA in scoring (28.8 PPG). To add, Jimmy Butler has given this team a massive boost through the road trips thanks to his intensity on the defensive floor. He's also shooting an efficient 51.6% from the floor, taking smart shots when they matter most and coming up in the clutch moments of the game.
The Warriors are certainly the healthier team and they're at their best when the bench is able to come up big while the starters rest. The Warriors have more depth on the bench and while this game may be a close one through the first few quarters, it should eventually be the Warriors who pull away late in the game for the win.
Warriors vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick
This will be an interesting meeting between these two sides for the first time this season, but the Charlotte Hornets are seriously compromised in terms of their starting lineup. The losses of Miles Bridges and Ryan Kalkbrenner could be particularly detrimental as they won't have the advantage in the paint any longer.
The Warriors, on the other hand, are much healthier and should be motivated to continue their current road trip with another win against a team with a losing record. Let's roll with the Golden State Warriors to cover the spread as they should start to pull away in the fourth quarter. The Hornets should put up a solid fight through the opening stages, but the depth of the Warriors bench will prove to be too much.
Final Warriors-Hornets Prediction & Pick: Golden State Warriors -7.5 (-102); UNDER 233.5 (-112)
