Game Time: 4:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 24th, 2021 

Venue:  Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

Where to Watch:  NBA, NBA league pass, Yes Network 

DraftKings:  Spread:   Nets -8 :  O/U: 224

BetMGM:  Spread:   :  O/U: (odds not in yet)

VegasInsider:  Spread:    :  O/U: (odds not in yet) 

Hornets: 2-0 (Eastern Conference)

Nets: 1-1 (Eastern Conference)

The bottom line is Lamelo Ball is an amazingly special player… not just on fast breaks, not just on free throws, not just on three-pointers.  For accuracy's sake Lamelo is great all around.  He may have to rein in the turnovers and get better on defense, but find me a second year player where that is not true?  LaMelo Ball can get you a basket.  He is so good there are NBA GM’s looking into that third brother to see if they missed something (they didn’t)... there are NBA GM’s looking into the Australian league to see if they missed something (they did, about six guys).

Kevin Durant and James Harden are better than LaMelo right now.  They don’t hope for the playoffs… anything less than being the only team left standing after the NBA season is a complete failure.  They can’t just get to the Eastern Conference semifinals and go on vacation with a few high-fives to remember.  They must win, they must win now… and if they don’t, shame on them.  Two former MVPs in their prime … with all the media attention and the constant stories in the associated press… need to forget about Kyrie Irving and his staggering case of Oppositional Defiance Disorder and win it all already.  These aren’t the NJ Nets… They are the Brooklyn invested 500 million on these players, Nets!  Aso they look like Laurel and Hardy and that is fun for everyone.

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RECENT FORM

The Hornets have played a Rubik’s Cube game of “Let’s build this roster” for over a decade now.  They have missed on draft picks by a mile… Only recently the inertia of finishing in the bottom and drafting high has caught up to them…  They now have a very good roster of young exciting players. LaMelo is exciting but Charlotte also has Miles Bridges… who along with the unrelated Mikail Bridges (of the Suns) will rank at the top of the undervalued picks in their draft.  They have won their first two games… against the Indiana Pacers 123-122 and the Cleveland Cavaliers 123-112… both games ended in an Over for bettors.  

The Nets have gone 1-1 to0 start the season.  They lost big on opening night to the Milwaukee Bucks 127-104… and it looked like they would lose big to the Philadelphia 76ers in game 2 but the had an amazing fourth quarter comeback (16-1 over the last 5 minutes) to take the win 114-109.  Not just another night in Eastern Conference play when you get upset in the last 5 minutes by a 15 point margin.  

The Charlotte Hornets are 5th in offensive rating 116.0 and third in OREB% 34.6 %.  They are an exciting offensive team that needs to buckle down on defense.  They will as the training wheels come off.

The Nets are 14th in offensive rating 109.5 and 16th in OREB% 25.5.. Lamarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin get a majority of the minutes at the center and power forward spots… they may be a step slow.  Rookie Day’Ron Sharpe will need to find more minutes (he’s injured)… if just to spell the old guys.  

Our prediction for Sunday, October 24th is… Hornets 118 - Nets 106

It’s time to be an early adopter of the LaMelo Ball experience.  This pick is based on what will be and how you will be first to the witness stand.

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Brooklyn is 35-25 ATS versus Charlotte since 1996.

Brooklyn is 5-2 ATS versus Charlotte the last 3 seasons.

Brooklyhn ini 3-1 ATS in games played at Brooklyn over the last 3 seasons.

Injury Report:

Hornets:  Terry Rozier is Day to Day

Nets: Kyrie Irving Out indefinitely for childishness * Day’Ron Sharpe (Toe) Out

Hornets: Pg LaMelo Ball, SG Kelly Oubre Jr, SF Gordon Hayward, PF Miles Bridges, C Mason Plumlee

Nets: Pg James Harden, SG Joe Harris, SF Kevin Durant, Pf Blake Griffin, C Nic Claxton

Nets:

Points: Kevin Durant 30.5

Rebounds: Kevin Durant 13

Assists: Kevin Durant 8

Steals: James Harden 1.5

Blocks: LaMarcus Aldridge

Hornets:

Points: LaMelo Ball 24

Rebounds: Mason Plumlee 12

Assists: Ish Smith 6.5

Steals: LaMelo Ball 3.5 

Blocks: Gordon Hayward 0.5

Hornets:  James Borrego was a Spurs assistant before he got the job as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets in 2018… I would have never known he was there because the Hornets have always been a losing team and recent year have only seen Kemba Walker as the bright spot.  James played 3 seasons with the San Diego Toreros in college before making the 16 year climb through college and assistant coaching ranks to land the plumb job of NBA head coach.  Interestingly Sam Cassell had an exemplary 15 year NBA playing career followed by 11 years of exemplary NBA assistant coaching and still isn’t an NBA  head coach.

Nets:  NBA legend Steve Nash.  He get exempted from the waitlist because of his Hall of Fame playing career.