The New Orleans Pelicans will take the road and visit the Spectrum Center to take on the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Below is our NBA odds series as ClutchPoints hands out a Pelicans-Hornets prediction and pick. ClutchPoints will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Pelicans (14-11) are coming off a couple of impressive wins after that debacle of a performance in the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas against the NBA Cup champion Los Angeles Lakers. They dealt the West's No. 1 seed, the Minnesota Timberwolves, just their fifth loss of the season on Monday, 121-107, before spanking the lowly Washington Wizards on Wednesday with a 142-122 victory. Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 40 points against Washington, while Trey Murphy added 27 points and six three-pointers off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Hornets lost back-to-back games to the Miami Heat earlier this week. Terry Rozier's 34 points on Monday were not enough to lift Charlotte past Miami, which just held on to a 116-114 win. The Heat were more comfortable at home two nights later as they outscored the Hornets 69-47 during the second and third quarters to take a 114-105 win. Rozier followed up his stellar performance earlier this week with a cool 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Pelicans-Hornets Odds
New Orleans Pelicans: -8.5 (-110)
Charlotte Hornets: +8.5 (-110)
Over: 232.5 (-110)
Under: 232.5 (-110)
How to Watch Pelicans vs. Hornets
Time: 7 PM ET/ 4 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports New Orleans, Bally Sports Southeast
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread
New Orleans is 15-9 against the spread this season. The Pels have also done a better job covering the spread at home with 11-3 mark. On the road, however, they are just 4-6-1. On the over/under, they've hit the over in just four of their 11 road games.
The embarrassment the Pelicans experienced in Las Vegas must have lit something in their bellies, as they answered back with two noteworthy wins to begin the week.
After getting a ton of flak in the In-Season Tournament semis against Los Angeles, Zion Williamson bounced back with a 36-point performance against the league's top defense. However, he did miss Wednesday's game against Washington due to a sprained ankle. Williamson is currently listed as questionable for Friday's tilt versus Charlotte.
Brandon Ingram has also answered the bell for the Pelicans. He scored 60 points over his last two outings. On the season, the 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 23.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, while shooting 49.5 percent from the field.
Trey Murphy is also beginning to find his rhythm, as evidenced by his 27-point explosion in their win over the Wizards. CJ McCollum is also finding his footing back — 18.3 points on 46.2 percent field goals and 42.1 percent threes in six games — since returning from a long absence due to a collapsed lung.
Larry Nance Jr. (rib fracture) and Matt Ryan (elbow) are already slated to miss signficant time due to their respective injuries.
Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread
Charlotte has gone just 9-13 against the spread and has hit the over on 14 of 22 set-point totals so far. However, they have done worse covering the spread at Spectrum Center with a 4-7-1 ATS home record. Likewise, they have also been worse on the over/under at home (7-12) than on the road (7-10).
The Hornets did play some competitive games earlier this week and almost took down the reigning Eastern Conference champs at home on Monday.
Terry Rozier has been on fire since returning from a groin injury. In eight games since, the 29-year-old is averaging 25.1 points and 9.3 assists, while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, including 48.3 percent from long distance. Over his last two, he has made 13 three-pointers combined on a scorching 68.4 percent shooting.
Miles Bridges has also been terrific in his NBA return. In 12 appearances so far, the lefty is averaging 19.9 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 49.7 percent from the field.
However, the injury bug has hit the Hornets as of late. LaMelo Ball will remain out due to a sprained ankle. He has missed the last couple of weeks but is reportedly making progress in his recovery.
PJ Washington is questionable with after suffering a left shoulder injury against the Heat. Mark Williams has been out since last Friday due to a back injury and remains doubtful for this Friday's contest versus New Orleans.
Final Pelicans-Hornets Prediction & Pick
Go with the Pelicans on this one to get the win and cover the spread. They look eager to bounce back from getting embarrassed in Vegas. They could do some damage against one of the worst defenses in the NBA in the Hornets, considering they did drop 121 points on the league's best defense just earlier this week. It might also be smarter to take the over on this, considering New Orleans has averaged 131.5 points this week alone.
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