Charlotte Hornets vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/17/2021

Game Time: 10:00 pm ET, Friday, December 17, 2021

Venue:  Moda Center, Portland, OR

Where to Watch:  ROOT Sports NW

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Hornets +1.5, Trail Blazers -1.5; Over/Under:  226.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Hornets NL, Trail Blazers NL; Over/Under:  NL points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Hornets NL, Trail Blazers NL; Over/Under:  NL points

 

Charlotte Hornets:  16-14 (2nd place, Southeast Division)

Portland Trail Blazers:  11-18 (4th place, Northwest Division)

 

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Charlotte Hornets:  4-6 last 10

Portland Trail Blazers:  1-9 last 10

 

 

 

The Hornets are coming into this game with a 16-14 record overall and they are 8-10 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Dallas Mavericks while their 2 wins in that span came against the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs in their last game. Gordon Hayward went off in that game as he led the team in points with 41 while Cody Martin was next on the team with 21 points. Miles Bridges led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Jalen McDaniels led the team in rebounds off the bench with 10. They were 59.3% from the field, 52.9% from 3-point range, and 68.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.4 PPG against them. The Hornets have an ATS record of 18-12 this season and their O/U record is 18-11-1.

 

 

The Trail Blazers are coming into this game with an 11-18 record overall and they are 10-7 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They have lost 10 of their last 11 games and are coming into this one on a 7 game losing streak after another loss in their last game. Their last win was against the Detroit Pistons while their 10 losses in that span came against the Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors, the Utah Jazz, the San Antonio Spurs, the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Warriors again, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns, and the Memphis Grizzlies in their last game. Norman Powell led the team in points in that game with 25 while Anfernee Simons was next on the team off the bench with 22 points. Damian Lillard also scored 21 points in that one as well. Powell also led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Jusuf Nurkic led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 37.8% from the field, 39.5% from 3-point range, and 92.9% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 108 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 111.2 PPG against them. The Trail Blazers have an ATS record of 10-19 this season and their O/U record is 14-15.

 

 

The Trail Blazers are coming into this matchup as a 1.5 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Trail Blazers have been on a very bad losing streak and have not been playing well but this is a good spot for them to snap their streak. The Hornets are coming off of a big win where they scored more than 130 points but they are going to still be missing Ball in this game and they have not really played well on the road this season. The Trail Blazers have gotten a little healthier and now that Lillard has been back playing he should give his team the boost they need to win here. The best bet to place in this game is on the Trail Blazers to cover the spread and to win this game straight up on the moneyline.

 

Hornets Trail Blazers Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, December 17, 2021 (10:00 pm ET start time) is Trail Blazers 112 Hornets 107.

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Charlotte Hornets: 9-3 O/U when the line is +3 to -3. 19-11 O/U in all games. 12-7 O/U when the total is 220 to 229.5. 14-9 O/U as an underdog. 6-1 O/U in December games. 19-11 O/U in the first half of the season. 7-4 O/U after a non-conference game. 13-7 O/U against Northwest division opponents. 

Portland Trail Blazers: 50-32 O/U when the total is 220 to 229.5. 51-30 O/U after 1 or more consecutive unders. 20-8 O/U revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a favorite. 51-31 O/U revenging a loss vs opponent. 183-129 O/U revenging a loss where opponent scored 110 or more points. 

 

 

Charlotte Hornets:  LaMelo Ball (PG) Ques Fri - Illness. I. Smith (PG) Out indefinitely - Illness.

Portland Trail Blazers:  D. Smith Jr. (PG) Ques Fri - Knee injury. T. Snell (SG) Ques Fri - Personal. G. Brown III (SF) Ques Fri - Illness. CJ McCollum (SG) Out indefinitely - Lung injury. C. Zeller (PF) Late Dec - Quadricep injury.

 

 

 

"He's special. When he's aggressive like that, when he plays with that fearless spirit, he's a different player. He makes us go in a lot of ways. I'm really proud of him. I'm really happy for him. He's been waiting for a breakout game like this. It's been brewing." - James Borrego on Gordon Hayward after their win against the Spurs on Wednesday night.

 

 

"I just felt like at the start of that fourth quarter, they just turned it on, man, from a physicality standpoint. We ran a few plays, we couldn't get the ball, we couldn't catch it where we wanted to catch it. A lot of that — give them credit." - Chauncey Billups on his team’s loss against the Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

 

 

 

PG    Terry Rozier

SG    Kelly Oubre Jr.

SF     Gordon Hayward

PF    Miles Bridges

C    Mason Plumlee

 

PG     Damian Lillard

SG     Tony Snell

SF     Norman Powell

PF     Larry Nance Jr.

C     Jusuf Nurkic

 

 

PPG: L. Ball (20)

APG: L. Ball (8.3)

Reb/G: L. Ball (7.7)

 

PPG: D. Lillard (22)

APG: D. Lillard (7.7)

Reb/G: J. Nurkic (10.3)

 

Coaches:

Charlotte Hornets: James Borrego (4th season)

Portland Trail Blazers: Chauncey Billups (1st season)