Game Time: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 23rd, 2022 

Venue:  Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

Where to Watch:  NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread: NL

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread: PK; O/U 237

WynnBet: Spread:  Hornets -2.5; O/U 237

Hawks: 20-25, 12th place Eastern Conference.

Hornets: 26-20, 7th place Eastern Conference

A battle of Eastern Conference foes that seem to have switched places this season.  Like those old body swapping comedies of the 80’s and 90’s… Last season's damage doing playoff team the Atlanta Hawks are in 12th place, while last seasons didn’t make the playoffs (and perennial) doormat the Charlotte Hornets are in 7th place.  The problem in Atlanta is health… but also they may have not been as good as advertised last season.  The success in Charlotte is all about the solid play of LaMelo Ball and how he is lifting the team to new heights.

The Atlanta Hawks indeed suffered from a few too many guys hitting the injured list this season.  SF/PF De’Andre Hunter has missed more games than he has played.  He is billed as their third best player, but is clearly their best two-way player. SG Bogdan Bogdanovic has missed nearly 20 games this season.  Bogdon is a key piece and a great shooter.  The list goes on and on if you start counting all the players who missed 4-8 games during the Covid outbreaks.  The Hawks star is still electric Point Guard Trae Young who scores 28 pts a game and logs 9 assists.  The Trae Young show, however, seems to be having less of an emotional impact on his teammates than it did last season.  Maybe the show is getting old on young players who would like a few shots themselves?... or maybe it has finally become time to play some defense.  To address the woes they were suffering from, the hawks traded disappointing lottery pick SF/SG Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks for disappointing lottery pick SF Kevin Knox… the Knicks had to throw in a future first round draft pick.  What this move addressed for the hawks isn’t exactly apparent as Cam Reddish is clearly the better NBA player.  Maybe he needed to go for chemistry sakes… or maybe the Hawks felt Cam was never going to earn starter's minutes and therefore were willing to give him up and try again later.  One thing is clear… if Kevin Knox is ever a starter on the Hawks… it’s because multiple people on the team are back on the injured list.  The Hawks are on a three-game winning streak which coincides with De’Andre Hunter returning to the line-up and getting comfortable and the Cam Reddish trade…. However, those wins only put them at 4 wins over their last ten games.  The Hawks need many more wins to matter at all for the postseason.

The Hornets have dipped from the blistering pace that made them the NBA League Pass surprise favorite in the early part of the season.  They are currently on a three-game winning streak of their own while having gone 7 wins over their last ten games. PG LaMelo Ball is the star that is drawing all the eyes to Charlotte games… but the guy doing all the work is PF Miles Bridges who is averaging a team high 20 pts a game and a team high 7.5 rebounds per game… Miles Bridges was drafted in 2018 two picks after the Phoenix Suns Mikal Bridges… the two men are not related… but they share something in common…. The original teams that drafted them SHOULD HAVE KEPT THEM!!  The Philadelphia 76ers desperately need a player like Mikal Bridges and the Los Angeles Clippers desperately need a player like Miles Bridges.  If the 2018 draft were redone today, Miles would go 4th and Mikal would go 5th.  LaMelo and Miles are not on an island alone… the rest of the roster has some quality to it with SG/PG Terry Rozier playing tough basketball and chipping in 18 pts a game while SF Gordon Hayward has worked his way back to respectability after his career was derailed by that devastating injury in Boston… he now happily chips in 17 pts a game.  The Hole on the roster is at Center… where nice guy Mason Plumlee holds down the fort but rarely wins the matchup at the spot… If the Hornets could upgrade at the Center they should do it now before the trade deadline.  In fact the Hornets have a mix of young big men on the bench like Nick Richards, JT Thor, Vernon Carey Jr and Kai Jones that are all underwhelming choices… Outside of Kai Jones all those guys were second round picks… If the Hornets want to do better than 7th place?  They should upgrade.

9-0 / 100% PERFECT RUN with Hoops DOMINATORS! Going for 7 IN A ROW! Also its 7 STRAIGHT WINNING DAYS after Friday's 3-1 makes him 26-12 / 68% L7 days! PHENOMENAL Top Play OPPORTUNITY! His Totals across all sports are now 36-14 / 72% in 2022 and this is HOT TOTAL that DEMANDS his HIGHEST rating! NBA off loss but 13-6 in 2022! This seeks 10 IN A ROW! Go get it! Get Scott Rickenbach’s picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

The Hawks are 20-25 on the season, but 18-27 ATS.  They have logged 25 Overs and 20 Unders.  They are 9-14 in road games.

The Hornets are 26-20 on the season, but 29-17 ATS.  They have notched 23 Overs, 22 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 13-6 in home games.

The Hawks are 8th in scoring with 111.2 ppg, 19th in reb9onds with 44.3, and 4th in AST/TO ratio.  They are shooting 10th in FG%, 2nd in 3PT%, and 5th in FT%... great shooting really… The problem with this team is that they are a lowly 25th on defense while giving up 112.2 ppg from opponents.  

The Hornets are 2nd in scoring with 114.6 ppg, 20th in rebounds with 44.2 per game, and 2nd in AST/TO ratio with 2.1.  They are shooting 11th in FG%, 4th in 3PT%, and 27th in FT%.  They (just like the Hawks) shoot themselves in the foot defensively by ranking 29th and allowing 114.2 ppg from opponents.    This Hornets team beat the Detroit Pistons 140-111 back on January 5th.  On the surface that looks like a BIG win…. But upon closer inspection it really is the heart of their problems… NO TEAM should give 111 points up to the Detroit Pistons… because there are 30 teams better than the Detroit Pistons!

 

Our prediction for Sunday, January 23rd is…. Hawks 119 - Hornets 116

Yes, the bet is for the Hawks to get the win.  On the surface the Hornets look like the better team and certainly have won more games recently…. But since both teams are on three-game winning streaks?... it’s important to realize that the Hawks became a better team overnight when they got DeAndre Hunter back in the starting line-up… Not to mention that Clint Capela and Bogdon Bogdonovic are now fully available.  The Hawks will sneak up on everybody their next couple of games and Vegas will be slow to react.  Take the points.  Hawks and the Over.

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Atlanta is 4-3 ATS versus Charlotte over the last 3 seasons.

Atlanta is 2-1 ATS versus Charlotte at Charlotte the last 3 seasons.

Hawks: SF Danillo Galinari (Achilles) Quest

Hornets: PF Jalen McDaniels (ankle) Doubtful 

Hawks: SF DeAndre Hunter, Pf John Collins, C Onyeka Okongwu, SG Kevin Huerter, PG Trae Young

Hornets: PF Miles Bridges, SF Gordon Hayward, C Mason Plumlee, PG LaMelo Ball, SG Terry Rozier 

Hawks

Points: Trae Young 27.9

Assists: Trae Young 9.4

Rebounds: Clint Capela 12.9

Steals: Malcolm Hill 1.3

Blocks: Onyeka Okongwu 1.8

Hornets

Points: Miles Bridges 20.1

Assists: LaMelo Ball 7.7

Rebounds: Mile Bridges 7.5

Steals: LaMelo Ball 1.6

Blocks: P.J. Washington 1.1

Hawks: Nate McMillan

Hornets: James Borrego