by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Dec 07, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Where to watch: YES, BSSE-CHA
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Nets -10; Nets -500, Hornets +400; O/U 221.5
FanDuel: Nets -10; Nets -460, Hornets +360; O/U 221
BetMGM: Nets -10; Nets -500, Hornets +360; O/U 222.5
Caesars: Nets -10; Nets -460, Hornets +380; O/U 221.5
Season record
Hornets: 7-17
Nets: 13-12
Well, if you’ve never seen a balanced NBA season to this point, you’re in for some craziness along the way. A lot of new faces in new places already making an impact, and our champion handicappers are already starting to take notice. The last 30 days have seen our champion handicappers cashing in a great deal. Look at Brian Bitler going 80-55-0 in the last 30 days, a run of $18,800 net profit. How about ASA, Inc.? He’s on a 55-41-2 run the last 30 days. You know where to go for your best analysis. 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 - Nets preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Hornets: lost 119-117 vs. Clippers on Monday
Nets: lost 103-92 vs. Celtics on Sunday
Hornets analysis
The Charlotte Hornets are still fighting for life over here, but continue to falter against teams much better than them. It has nothing to do with the actual play of the team, but rather the lack of talent out due to injuries. The Hornets lost for the third time in four games and are coming off a 119-117 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in which Kawhi Leonard ripped their heart out of their collective chest. Leonard’s game-winner with 1.4 seconds left ended a game where the Hornets had a 49-47 edge in rebounding, but gave up 25 second-chance points.
"It's just one rebound that decided the game," Charlotte forward Kelly Oubre Jr. said. "It's been the same story for a couple of nights. Just one rebound. We get this one rebound and we secure possession of the ball and the game is in our hands."
Oubre scored 28 points and he is taking this role of being the top scorer in stride. Without LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward, someone else has needed to step up and make this a bit easier in the short term. Hopefully for the Hornets’ sake, when they get everyone back, Steve Clifford can utilize his system and let things develop. Charlotte has given up 117 points per game over the last nine games. Not good enough to contend or stay relevant when they eventually get to January and February. They need help, they need their best defender, and they need their best player to get them through this.
Nets analysis
The Brooklyn Nets are starting to win and things have started to come together since Kyrie Irving returned to the lineup. From 7-9 to 13-12, the Nets have turned things around since Steve Nash was fired and Jacque Vaughn took over. But the Nets ran out of gas on Sunday against the best team in the league, the Boston Celtics, losing 103-92. Kevin Durant had 31 points coming off being the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week, but he did have eight turnovers. Irving had just 18 points, and Brooklyn did not have Ben Simmons for a third straight game due to a calf injury. Simmons says he will be ready for this game.
"We had plenty of opportunities in the first quarter," said Vaughn, who saw his team take an early nine-point lead and allow just 41 points in the second half. "A little bit of everything. But that team had 103 points and we didn't play our best."
The Nets are still a work in progress, and might be for a long time until Simmons gets healthy and playing consistently. What we’ve learned about the Nets is that the Durant-Irving combo can no longer be considered good enough to lead this team. The return of TJ Warren should help, but there’s more to be done in this situation.
Prediction
The biggest difference in this one with the talent gap and if the Hornets are at a huge disadvantage, is that the Clippers had a less-than-100% Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Durant and Irving are not less than 100%. That’s going to be hard for Charlotte to deal with on the road. Nets by 14
Betting trends
Hornets are 42-26 ATS after losing 2 of 3 the last 3 years.
Hornets are 23-10 ATS when revenging a loss against an opponent the last 2 seasons.
Nets are 44-64 ATS in all games over the last 2 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Hornets:
PG: Terry Rozier
SG: Kelly Oubre Jr.
SF: Jalen McDaniels
PF: P.J. Washington
C: Mason Plumlee
Nets:
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Royce O’Neale
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Ben Simmons
C: Nic Claxton
Injury report
Hornets: LaMelo Ball (ankle, out), Dennis Smith Jr. (ankle, out), Gordon Hayward (shoulder, out), Mark Williams (ankle, out)
Nets: Yuta Watanabe (hamstring, out)
Statistical leaders
Hornets:
Points: Terry Rozier – 21.3
Rebounds: Mason Plumlee – 9.1
Assists: LaMelo Ball – 7.0
Nets:
Points: Kevin Durant – 29.9
Rebounds: Nic Claxton – 8.8
Assists: Kevin Durant – 5.4
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Charlotte Hornets - Brooklyn Nets 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.
