NBA: New Orleans Pelicans vs Charlotte Hornets Pick and Predictions 10/21/2022

Game: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, October 21st

Venue:  Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass 

Pelicans: 1-0, 6th Western Conference

Hornets: 1-0, 6th Eastern Conference

As silly as it may seem… This is a battle of 6th place teams.  Eastern Conference vs Western Conference.  Both teams are undefeated.  Both teams have only played 1 game.  So the place in the standings is of course silly… but that is where we are at.  However both these teams are very interesting.  The Pelicans announced themselves with a hard fought place in the Playoffs last season. They are a team with two big stars (Ingram & McCollum) and lots of depth… and of course they get back their brightest hope… PF Zion Williamson.  It has been a long time coming and we have no idea if it will last… but with Zion a GOOD team could be GREAT… without Zion a GREAT team will still be GOOD.  The Hornets on the other hand are a team on the come-up.  Last season they led the league in scoring!  REALLY.  Last season the Charlotte Hornets led the league in scoring… They missed the Playoffs and the Play-in game because they were second to dead last in defense.  They led the team in scoring but gave up more points than they scored… That is a lot of running!  So in the off season they drafted C Mark Williams from DUKE.  Williams should go as long way toward righting the defensive ship… but how long a way?.. That part is a mystery. But for a team that had no center last season… they have added some options.

The New Orleans Pelicans are happy!  They debuted the season with a healthy Zion Williamson IN THE LINEUP!  Zion played only 30 minutes and gave the Pelicans 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals!!  A big man’s game for a big man who didn’t even play last season.  Ingram led the way with 28 points with McCollum balancing the team with 21 points from the guard spot.  A true BIG THREE is everything holds up as expected.  The Pelican blew the Brooklyn Nets out of the water with a 130-108 win. They made Brooklyn look silly… particularly Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. Neither of them looked ready for an NBA season at all.  The Pelicans also did it while still missing the first round pick of the draft before last PG Kira Lewis JR… and C Jaxson Hayes was nowhere to be found.

The Charlotte Hornets also won their first game of the season… also a blow out!  129-102.  But this blowout should come with a lot less fanfare since it came against the San Antonio Spurs.  The Spurs are in full “tank” mode… looking for a shot at a 7’4 French teenager that will change the league next season.  They are so into it that they traded their best player to the Hawks over the summer. The best part of the Hornets win was it came with PG Lonzo Ball on the bench.  Nursing a bad ankle.  The team did not start rookie C Mark Williams, instead opting for C Mason Plumlee.  It worked as the Spurs put up no fight whatsoever.  The best coach in basketball, Gregg Popovich, has been stranded on the Spurs sideline for the last 4 seasons… wasting away until the rocking chair on the porch comes for him.  The Hornets got 24 points from Terry Rozier, 10 rebounds from Nick Richards, and quality defense from Kelly Oubre Jr, and PJ Washington. The only thing that matters is a win's a win… will they do it against better competition though?  This team faces a challenge in that last year’s leading scorer and team star forward Miles Bridges is facing felony charges for domestic violence… His career may be over and he is missing in action from the team.  That is the sort of setback that may cause the Hornets to eventually sell off some guys and embrace “tanking”... or it could get worked oout with a return to the team.  The charges are severe and at press time Miles could be facing 12 years in prison if convicted of all charges. 

DraftKings:  Point Spread: Pelicans -7; O/U 231

Superbook: Point Spread: Pelicans -7; O/U 230

William Hill: Point Spread: Pelicans -7; O/U 230.5

Pelicans: PF Zion Williamson, SF Brandon Ingram, C Jonas Valanciunas, SG CJ McCollum, PG Herbert Jones

Hornets: SF Gordon Hayward, PF PJ Washington, C Mason Plumlee, SG Terry Rozier, PG Kelly Oubre JR

 

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After Game 1 the Pelicans are 1st in scoring with 130 ppg, 2nd in rebounds with 61 per game, 3rd in assists-to-Turnovers with 2.4-1, and 20th in blocks.  They had a big game.  These stats don’t mean much after just one game… but a couple big games in a row and they will be eye-popping.

After Game 1 the Hornets are 2nd in the league in scoring with 129, 8th in rebounds with 51, and 10th in assists to turnovers with 1.7 to 1, and 3rd in blocked shots with 10!!!  After 1 game this is also a silly bunch of numbers… but they were #1 in scoring last year… so maybe the scoring keeps on coming.

Our prediction for Friday, October 21st is…. Pelicans 125 - Hornets 110

The Pelicans will drown the Hornets.  Bet on the Pelicans.  The Hornets are improving for sure… but the Pelicans HAVE IMPROVED. 

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Pelicans:  PF Zion Williamson.  The whole league is watching to see if he will hold up.  If the Pelicans are smart, Zion should be held to 30 minutes or under in every game… and possibly rest games when they play San Antonio or Orlando or anyone else that are league dregs.

Hornets: PF PJ Washington.  PJ is holding down the power forward spot… and depending on what happens in an LA courtroom he may have the spot all season…. Everyone in Charlotte is hoping he holds up.

Pelicans: Willie “big things are coming” Green

Hornets: Steve “no one has heard of me” Clifford