Houston Rockets Vs. Charlotte Hornets: Predictions, Starting Lineups (1/26/24)
After an embarrassing road loss to Detroit, the worst team in the league, the Charlotte Hornets will now try to protect their home court against the Rockets. Find our Houston Rockets vs. Charlotte Hornets predictions, betting picks, and in-depth matchup analysis below!
Houston Rockets Vs. Charlotte Hornets Prediction
A few days ago, the Charlotte Hornets moved on from their leading scorer, Terry Rozier, in favor of (eventually) rostering younger players (Kyle Lowry will not be with the team for long) who fit the team’s rebuilding timeline.
Unfortunately, the Hornets lost their following game to the Detroit Pistons without Rozier; they let the worst team in the NBA shoot 50% from the floor and 40% from deep against them.
Now, Charlotte looks to bounce back against Houston on its home floor. Can the Hornets grab a much-needed home win? We aren’t completely sold on the Hornets winning in this spot, as fading Charlotte has been a common theme on our channel and in our previews.
The Hornets have an egregiously poor interior defense (allows the most points and second-most rebounds to opposing centers) and rank dead-least in opponent 3P% this season. To be fair, Charlotte has held opponents to a much lower 3P% at home, which could be a key factor in this game.
However, the Houston Rockets are astonishingly bad on the road, boasting merely a 4-15 road record. Those wins came against Detroit (two points), Memphis (seven points), Denver (eight points), and New Orleans (two points.) Two quality road wins in 19 games? Yikes.
Further, Houston holds the seventh-worst net rating away from its home floor and shoots the lowest three-point percentage on the road of any team in the NBA. The Rockets’ defense has been a staple throughout the season; however, their effectiveness (119.2 defensive rating) on that end of the floor away from home has dropped substantially, too.
It pains us to back the Hornets in this spot, but we can’t lay points with Houston on the road.
Houston Rockets Vs. Charlotte Hornets Prediction: Hornets +5.5 (-108)
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Houston Rockets Vs. Charlotte Hornets Best Odds
The Houston Rockets are five-point road favorites against the struggling Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Houston has Moneyline odds of -205 to win outright, while the Hornets are +170 underdogs to log their 11th win of the 2023-24 campaign. The point total for this matchup hangs around 226.5 points, with -110 odds for the Over and the Under.
Houston Rockets Starting Lineup
PG: Fred VanVleet
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Dillon Brooks
PF: Jabari Smith Jr
C: Alperen Sengun
Charlotte Hornets Starting Lineup
PG: LaMelo Ball
SG: Cody Martin
SF: Brandon Miller
PF: Miles Bridges
C: Nick Richards
Houston Rockets Vs. Charlotte Hornets Injuries
At the time this was written, Tari Eason (lower leg) and Victor Oladipo (knee) were the only two Rockets players who were listed as out; however, Jae’Sean Tate (wrist) and Reggie Bullock (back) are questionable for this non-conference matchup.
Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry is unlikely to debut for the Hornets as they figure out what to do with the veteran guard before the trade deadline. Gordon Hayward (leg) and Mark Williams (back) will still be sidelined with their respective injuries. Don’t be surprised if we don’t see Hayward again in a Hornets jersey, as he might be traded, too.
North Carolina Sports Betting Update
It is official: North Carolina Sports Betting will launch on March 11th, just in time for March Madness! Residents of the Tar Heel state who are at least 21 years of age can bet online through their sportsbook of choice on their favorite teams, including North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, and N.C. State.
There is a distinct possibility that all of these colleges make the NCAA Tournament, which opens the door for avid college fans to back several in-state universities. Now that an official date has been announced, watch these pages: DraftKings North Carolina, Bet365 North Carolina, and FanDuel North Carolina. We will continuously update them with relevant information, including our expert reviews on the sportsbooks and their likely first-time user promotion for North Carolina residents!
