Hornets vs. 76ers Pick
How will the Charlotte Hornets handle being a road favorite when they face the Philadelphia 76ers tonight at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Hornets are favored on the road, as they are getting odds of -5.5 points against the 76ers. The over/under total for the game is listed at 209.5 points. Charlotte has won six straight meetings with the 76ers, going 4-2 against the spread in those six games.
Charlotte has lost three straight and five of its last six games to fall to 20-19 on the season. The Hornets are just 19-19-1 against the spread this season as well. Charlotte is putting up 105.5 points per game on offense while giving up 104 points per contest on defense. Kemba Walker is averaging 23.1 points and 5.5 assists per game to lead this team while Nicolas Batum is adding 15.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per contest. Batum has been dealing with a knee injury, but is expected to play tonight.
Philadelphia has won two straight and four of its last five coming into tonight. The 76ers are now 11-25 overall with a 20-16 mark against the spread after covering in five straight. Philly doesn’t have much of an offense, averaging just 99.2 points per game this season while the defense is giving up105.6 points per contest. Joel Embiid is leading the team with 19.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while Ersan Ilyasova is adding 15.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.
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This spread is somewhat surprising considering the recent trends of both teams, but the Hornets have the better team on paper. Charlotte has been struggling, but the Hornets have played against the likes of the Rockets, Spurs, Cavs and Thunder in recent weeks. Philly has been winning, but against other poor teams. Look for the Hornets to get back on track tonight and hand the 76ers another sizable loss.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: CHARLOTTE HORNETS -5.5