by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Oct 22, 2022
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Where to watch: Bally Sports Southeast-Atlanta, Bally Sports Southeast-Charlotte
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Hawks -10; Hawks -520, Hornets +410
FanDuel: NL
FanDuel: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Hawks -10; Hawks -550, Hornets +400
Season record
Hornets: 1-1
Hawks: 2-0
What a thrilling start to the NBA season, and it's time to get your picks in for what should be an enticing season. A lot of new faces in new places already making an impact, and our champion handicappers are already starting to take notice. Look at our own Jack Banks off to a 3-0-0 start in the NBA this week. Nelly's Sports is also at 4-0-0 while Jim Feist has also cashed on his first two of the year. As the season progresses, you know we're going to be in a position to deliver you the best analysis and picks that one can have in this market. Make sure you check out our Best Bets page at bigal.com to find all of our handicappers' selections, comprehensive previews, and more!
Hornets - Hawks preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Hornets: lost 124-112 vs. Pelicans
Hawks: won 108-98 vs. Magic
A thrilling start to the year for the Atlanta Hawks if you’re a believer in the new Big Three. Two wins against two bottom feeders of the league, but both at home, which is a good way to start things. The Hawks will look to go to 3-0 on Sunday when they face the shorthanded Charlotte Hornets in Atlanta.
Coming off their season-opening win over the Houston Rockets on opening night, the Hawks answered with another strong performance against the young Orlando Magic, winning 108-98 at home. Trae Young finished with 25 points (but took 24 shots to get there) but had 13 assists to make up for his shooting deficiencies. Instead, the offense ran through the newly-acquired All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, who had 20 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on 8 of 16 shooting, and John Collins also imposed his will inside with 23 points (9 of 14 shooting) and 13 rebounds while being a plus-26.
“We really struggled to get in a rhythm offensively, and I thought our turnovers kept them in the game and basically playing their tempo.,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “Our defense stayed with it and our defense showed up in the fourth quarter holding them to 17 points. Enough to allow our offense to be able to put some points on the board. We struggled for three quarters to find a rhythm."
Young went scoreless in the first half but worked well to put in those 25 points. As a whole, you can’t really complain about how that game went. When clicking on all cylinders, this is what Atlanta was hoping for with Young, Murray and Collins. If Young can’t get his shooting in rhythm, Murray is there to bail him out. And if that works, then the pick-and-roll to take the pressure off Murray and find Collins on the roll is another weapon that should be used at all costs. And with the Hornets facing an uphill climb for the foreseeable future without LaMelo Ball, this is the perfect chance for the star guard duo to take advantage.
The Hornets are coming off a 124-112 home opener loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, two days after beating the San Antonio Spurs by 27 in their season opener. For such a banged up roster, the Hornets nearly took it to the star-studded Pelicans in a hard-fought game. Gordon Hayward had 26 points, and Terry Rozier chipped in with 23 with six players scoring in double figures. It’s just tough to play defense when Jonas Valanciunas is going for 30 points and 17 rebounds, Brandon Ingram scores 28, and C.J. McCollum goes for 21. Oh, and that Zion Williamson guy scoring 16 points.
“We were careless with the ball,” Hayward said. “We should have attacked a little more and we were hesitant.”
The Hawks are laying 10 points at most books for this one, and that seems like a fair number to roll with. Atlanta has an All-Star group while the Hornets are trudging along without their best player. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Atlanta is also as high as -500 on the moneyline. Play this one if you’d like, but don’t expect much value in return between now and tipoff.
Prediction
The Hawks are good, they’re going to be good all year. This is about finding consistency among the Big Three. They should be able to against another inferior opponent. Hawks by 17
Betting trends
Hornets are 41-38 ATS the last three seasons on the road.
Hornets are 19-18 ATS off a home loss the last three years.
Hornets are 39-38 ATS after playing a home game the last three years.
Hawks are 52-36 ATS at home the last three years.
Hawks are 18-16 ATS against division opponents the last three years.
Projected starting lineup
Hornets:
PG: Dennis Smith Jr.
SG: Terry Rozier
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: P.J. Washington
C: Mason Plumlee
Hawks:
PG: Trae Young
SG: Dejounte Murray
SF: De'Andre Hunter
PF: John Collins
C: Clint Capela
Key injuries
Hornets: LaMelo Ball (ankle, out), Cody Martin (quad, doubtful)
Hawks: Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee, out)
Statistical leaders
Hornets:
Points: Terry Rozier -- 23.5
Rebounds: Nick Richards -- 8.0
Assists: Terry Rozier -- 8.5
Hawks:
Points: Trae Young -- 24.0
Rebounds: John Collins -- 10.5
Assists: Trae Young -- 13.0
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Charlotte Hornets - Atlanta Hawks prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
