With time winding down on the season, the New Orleans Pelicans will look to win their third game in a row as they try to work their way into the Western Conference Play-in Tournament when they take on the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. The Pelicans (35-37), who are tied for 11th in the West with the Los Angeles Lakers, are 11-17 against Eastern Conference teams. The Hornets (23-50), who are 14th in the East, are 9-16 vs. Western teams. New Orleans is coming off a 119-84 win over San Antonio on Tuesday, while Charlotte defeated Indiana 115-109 on Monday. Zion Williamson (hamstring) remains out for New Orleans. The Hornets will be without LaMelo Ball (ankle), Cody Martin (knee) and Mark Williams (thumb).
Tipoff from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans is set for 8 p.m. ET. New Orleans leads the all-time regular-season series 24-12. New Orleans is a 7-point favorite in the latest Hornets vs. Pelicans odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 225.5. 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 -7
- Hornets vs. Pelicans over/under: 225.5 points
- Hornets vs. Pelicans money line: Hornets +240, Pelicans -305
- 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
Featured Game | New Orleans Pelicans vs. Charlotte Hornets
Why the Pelicans can cover
Forward Brandon Ingram has played well of late, and is coming off a 32-point, seven-assist and four-rebound performance in Tuesday’s win over San Antonio. He scored 31 points and had six assists and four rebounds at Houston on Friday, and followed that up with 26 points, nine assists and two rebounds at Houston on Sunday. In 35 games, all starts, Ingram is averaging 23.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 33.1 minutes. Ingram has reached double-digit scoring in 34 games, including 23 games with 20 or more points.
Shooting guard CJ McCollum has reached double-figure scoring in 59 games, including 38 with 20 or more points and eight with 30-plus points. He has led the Pelicans in scoring 23 times and in assists 39 times this season. In Sunday’s 117-107 win at Houston, he scored 26 points, while grabbing six rebounds and five assists. He also had two steals and blocked two shots. In 65 starts on the year, he is averaging 21 points, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds.
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 231 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.