The New Orleans Pelicans will look to continue their strong play on their home court when they take on the Charlotte Hornets in a key matchup on Thursday. The Pelicans (35-37), who are within striking distance of reaching the NBA play-in tournament, are 23-13 at home this season. The Hornets (23-50), who are 10 games out of the play-in tournament, have struggled on the road, going 11-26. Charlotte is 3-7 in its last 10 games, while New Orleans is 5-5. Zion Williamson (hamstring) is out for New Orleans, while LaMelo Ball (ankle) is out for Charlotte.
The game from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans will tip off at 8 p.m. ET. The Pelicans are averaging 113.9 points per game this season, 16th-best in the league, while the Hornets average 111.3, 27th-best. New Orleans is a 9-point favorite in the latest Hornets vs. Pelicans odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 225. Before making any Pelicans vs. Hornets picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 23 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 69-36 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,900. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Pelicans vs. Hornets and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Hornets vs. Pelicans:
- Hornets vs. Pelicans spread: Pelicans -9
- Hornets vs. Pelicans over/under: 225 points
- Hornets vs. Pelicans money line: Hornets +320, Pelicans -420
- CHA: The Hornets are 7-2 against the spread in their last nine games following a straight-up win
- NO: The Pelicans are 20-7-1 ATS in their last 28 games against a team with a winning % below .400
- Hornets vs. Pelicans picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Pelicans can cover
Center Jonas Valanciunas continues to dominate as he scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Tuesday's win over San Antonio. He had 21 points and 12 boards at Houston on Sunday, and had 22 points and 17 rebounds at Houston on Friday. For the season, he has a team-high 37 double-doubles and has reached double-figure scoring 53 times. He has scored 20 or more points in 15 games, and has 30-plus points in three games. Across 69 games this season, Valanciunas averages 14.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
Also helping power the Pelicans is shooting guard Trey Murphy III. He poured in 41 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win over Portland on March 12 and followed that up with a 20-point, three-steal performance in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 14. Murphy has reached double-digit scoring in 49 games, including 11 with 20 or more points. In 69 games, including 55 starts, he is averaging 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and one steal in 30 minutes of action.
Why the Hornets can cover
Despite that, New Orleans isn't a lock to cover the Hornets vs. Pelicans spread. That's because Charlotte has won two of the last three meetings. Shooting guard Terry Rozier has been on fire of late, averaging 21.2 points over the past 10 games and has reached 20 or more points in six of the past seven games. Rozier narrowly missed a double-double in his last outing, a win over Indiana on Monday. In that game, he scored 23 points, while dishing out nine assists.
Also helping power Charlotte is shooting guard Kelly Oubre Jr. He scored 28 points, made four steals and grabbed three rebounds in Monday's win over Indiana. Oubre also reached 28 points in a 120-104 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 14. He scored in double figures in the first 34 games of the season, the longest streak of his career. In 47 games, including 39 starts, he is averaging 20.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 assists.
How to make Pelicans vs. Hornets picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 232 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Hornets vs. Pelicans? And which side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
