Hornets vs Pelicans Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, March 23rd

Check out our free Hornets vs Pelicans pick and preview for this NBA game in New Orleans. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Hornets vs Pelicans NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Charlotte Hornets at New Orleans Pelicans
Where: New Orleans at Smoothie King Center
Date: Thursday, March 23rd
Betting Odds NO -7.5, CHA +253 | NO -318 O/U 225.5

The Hornets come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 23-50. So far, the team has gone 31-37-5 against the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Charlotte has an overall record of 1-2, including going 1-2 against the spread.

Charlotte is going for yet another win, as they previously defeated the Pacers. With the 115-109 victory, they also covered the spread as 1 point underdogs. Charlotte was able to come away with the win due to strong 2nd half effort. Heading into the 2nd half, the team faced a 8 point deficit. In the win, Kelly Oubre Jr. led the team in scoring with 28 points on a field goal percentage of 58.8%.

The Pelicans come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 35-37. So far, the team has gone 33-39-0 against the spread. Against the Hornets, the Pelicans are looking to add to their current 2 game winning streak. The average margin of victory across these matchups is 22.5.

In their previous game, the Pelicans took down the Spurs by a score of 119-84. Not only did they come away with a straight up win, but they also covered the spread as 13 point favorites. Not only did the team win the game, but they also outscored the Spurs in every quarter. Leading the team in scoring was Brandon Ingram, as he contributed 32 points while hitting 62.5% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Pelicans picked up the 124-112 win over the Hornets. The Pelicans point margin of victory was enough to cover the spread as 7.0 point favorite. This has been the only matchup between the two teams this season. In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Hornets averaged 124.0 points per game vs New Orleans, which was an increase over their season-long average. While the Hornets saw a boost in scoring, the Pelicans averaged 111.5 points per contest in head-to-head meeting vs Charlotte. This figure was similar to season-long average. Across the last 5 matchups between the teams, New Orleans has gone 3-2 vs the spread. However, the Hornets actually have a positive scoring margin in these games at +4 points per game. In these contests, they averaged a combined 230 points per game, leading to an over-under mark of 3-2.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Through 73 games, Charlotte is averaging 111.3 points per game (27th). Coming into today’s game, the Hornets will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.6 made 3’s per game. Not only is the Charlotte offense struggling with their outside shot, but they are also getting to the charity stripe at a below average rate. So far, they are the 22nd ranked team in made free-throws per contest.

Defensively, Charlotte has had its problems giving up an average of 114.89 points per game (25th).

This season, the Hornets offense has primarily worked through Terry Rozier and P.J. Washington who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 62 games, Rozier is 40th in the NBA at 21.4 points per game. So far, him and Washington have accounted for 35% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 36.5 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, P.J. Washington is grabbing 4.9 rebounds for Charlotte to go along with 2.3 assists.

For the season, the Pelicans offensive unit is ranked just 16th in scoring at 114.0 points per contest. Coming into today’s game, the Pelicans will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.9 made 3’s per game. One area of the team’s offense that has been effective is their ability to get to the free-throw line. So far, they are ranked 10th, with an average of 19.3 made free-throws per game.

On defense, the Pelicans will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 13th ranked unit in points allowed per game.

This season, the Pelicans offense has primarily worked through CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 65 games, McCollum is 44th in the NBA at 21.0 points per game. So far, him and Valanciunas have accounted for 32% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 35.2 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Jonas Valanciunas is grabbing 9.8 rebounds for New Orleans to go along with 1.7 assists.