Hawks vs. Hornets NBA Predictions: Two Playoff Hopefuls Can Deliver a High-Scoring Affair (Archive)
Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks clash with LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets in what promises to be an exciting game on Wednesday night. Here’s a complete preview, including betting odds and free NBA picks.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 – 07:00 PM EDT at Spectrum Center
The Hornets opened at PK at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review) and FiveThirtyEight have them at -1.5, giving them a 56 percent chance to win. For support, we turn to USA Today's Jeff Sagarin's projections; he has the Hornets at -0.20 using his Rating numbers and at -0.49 using his eigenvector analysis.
BetOnline set the total at 238.5 in their NBA odds board. Sagarin projects these two teams to combine for 234.9 points. Should we hammer the 238.5-point total?
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Both Teams Need to Win This Game
The Hawks (34-34 SU, 28-40 ATS) have won last three games and they're now ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, one game behind the Nets. Atlanta hasn't covered the spread in six straight games, they were 14-point favorites on Monday's 122-113 home win against Portland.
Trae Young went off for 21 of his 46 points in the third quarter to help the Hawks erase a 15-point second half deficit. Young scored 47 points on Sunday's 131-128 home win against the Pacers and according to Elias Sports, he is the first player in the NBA with at least 40 points on back-to-back games this season.
The Hornets (34-35 SU, 37-30-2 ATS) are also playing well, they've won three of their last five games, including two in a row, straight up and against the spread and they're just a half-game behind the Hawks in the
Terry Rozier scored 30 points and the Hornets rallied from as many as 18 points down in the second quarter. Miles Bridges also shined with 27 points and six assists and LaMelo Ball finished with 21 points and seven assists. The Hornets made 20 for 35 (57.1 percent) 3-point attempts.
“We were just preaching that we had to move the ball,” Miles Bridges said after Monday’s win against the Thunder. “Anytime we move the ball, we get any shot we want. … We were getting a lot of open 3s and knocking them down.”
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How to Bet This Game
Both teams struggle with their 3-point defense, the Hawks rank just 28th in the NBA, allowing opponents to make 36.5 percent of their 3-point attempts and the Hornets rank 21st in the league, letting opponents shoot 35.7 percent from beyond the arc.
The Hawks are third in the NBA, making 37.0 percent of their 3-point shots while the Hornets are ninth, shooting 36.2 percent from beyond the arc, including 43.5 percent in their last three games. All signs point towards this being a high-scoring game but the play I really like is Trae Young to have at least four 3-point field goals.
Young is shooting 38.8 percent from beyond the arc in his last 10 games but he's made 43.8 percent of his 3-point shots in three games against the Hornets this season and he had four or more 3-point in two of his last three games. He comes into this game with a hot hand and he will have plenty of chances to hit this number.
Final Score: Hawks 120, Hornets 118
NBA Pick: Trae Young to have at least four 3-point field goals (+114) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.