Charlotte Hornets Vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Predictions, Starting Lineups (1/17/24)
Can the New Orleans Pelicans log their eighth win in their past 11 games when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night? Find our Charlotte Hornets vs. New Orleans Pelicans predictions, betting picks, and complete matchup preview below for the answer!
Charlotte Hornets Vs. New Orleans Pelicans Prediction
New Orleans is on a heater; it has won seven of its past ten games, boasting the second-highest winning percentage in that span in the NBA. Further, the Pelicans have the highest net rating (+11.8), shooting over 51% from the floor, 43% from behind the arc, and 78% from the free-throw line in those games.
The three Pelicans losses came to the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, and Denver Nuggets; the latter two were on the road, and the former was against the hottest team in the NBA. Further, New Orleans had secured a road win in Dallas in its first game of a two-game road series against the Mavericks. The Pelicans had accomplished their mission of grabbing at least one of those two games.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets have dropped 16 of their past 17 games and have far and away the worst net rating in the NBA over that stretch (-16.8.) Charlotte finally brought LaMelo Ball back from his injury, but it has hardly helped, as the team has lost those two games by an average of 26.5 points. One of those losses came at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, another conference bottom-dweller, by an astounding 36 points.
Making matters worse, the Hornets shot a combined 35% from the floor and 27% from the three-point line in those two games while also allowing opponents (who are inferior to New Orleans, especially with how it has been playing) to shoot 51% from the field and 46% from deep. We cannot back a team that has not covered this line in seven of their past nine games and continues to display some of the worst chemistry of any unit in the NBA.
Charlotte Hornets Vs. New Orleans Pelicans Prediction: Pelicans -12 (-110)
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Charlotte Hornets Vs. New Orleans Pelicans Best Odds
New Orleans is a massive 12-point home favorite against the battered Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. The Pelicans have Moneyline odds of -850 to simply beat Charlotte outright, while the Hornets are +575 underdogs to secure an extremely unlikely upset. The point total for this matchup hangs around 229 points, with -110 odds on both the Over and the Under.
Charlotte Hornets Starting Lineup
PG: LaMelo Ball
SG: Terry Rozier
SF: Brandon Miller
PF: Miles Bridges
C: Nick Richards
New Orleans Pelicans Starting Lineup
PG: C.J. McCollum
SG: Brandon Ingram
SF: Herb Jones
PF: Zion Williamson
C: Jonas Valanciunas
Charlotte Hornets Vs. New Orleans Pelicans Injuries
Charlotte finally has LaMelo Ball back in the lineup after he missed 20 games of the season with an injury; however, Gordon Hayward (calf), Frank Ntilikina (leg), and Mark Williams (back) will likely be sidelined for a few more weeks. Additionally, Brandon Miller is listed as questionable with a back injury for Wednesday’s game.
Meanwhile, New Orleans has the cleanest injury report that it has had in a long time, with Matt Ryan (elbow) being the only player listed on it.
North Carolina Sports Betting Update
Great news, sports fans in the Tar Heel state! North Carolina Sports Betting is launching sometime in the first half of 2024 between February 11th and June 14th; however, there have been extended talks about online sports betting launching right before the start of March Madness.
Obviously, this is fantastic news for residents of North Carolina, especially the ones who are huge college basketball fans. And North Carolina certainly is a college basketball state. Several elite college basketball programs in the Tar Heel state, including the University of North Carolina and Duke Blue Devils, are well on their way to being NCAA Tournament-bound in March.
To prepare for the launch of online sports betting in North Carolina, check out our reviews on these sportsbooks and their likely first-time user bonuses: Bet365 North Carolina and FanDuel North Carolina.
