New York Knicks vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/23/2022

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Venue: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

Where to watch: Bally Sports Southeast-Charlotte, MSG

DraftKings: Hornets -6.5

BetMGM: Hornets -6.5

Caesars: Hornets -6.5

Knicks: 30-42

Hornets: 37-35

There is nothing better than putting a smile on this old man's face than seeing the New York Knicks just absolutely go down the drain toward the end of the season.

The Knicks are six games back of the play-in round and are likely on the outside looking in despite two wins last week over the Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards. But then things went back to normal Sunday in a 108-93 loss to the Utah Jazz.

RJ Barrett finished with 24 points and seven rebounds to pace the Knicks, who are nowhere ready to be taking any steps forward. Julius Randle was held to just 13 points and 11 rebounds in another underwhelming performance for the former All-Star. Whenever the Knicks have needed him to do anything remotely consistent this year, nothing has come to fruition.

"The thing is they're a really good team, so you've got to play for 48 minutes and we didn't do that," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "So we fell short."

Then if that wasn't enough, getting torched by 45 points from Trae Young in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday was just as good in a win for the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

That sounds about right. And that's also been the case all season for the Knicks, falling short whenever they need to actually take a step. And yet at the end of the day, nothing ever materializes. My feelings are you can attribute this to Kemba Walker karma. There's really no other way around this.

Speaking of Kemba Walker, his former team is doing that thing again where they win a lot, lose a lot and then win again. After losing 13 of 17, the Charlotte Hornets have won five straight going into Wednesday's matchup with the Knicks.

After a 106-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday and six players scoring in double figures, the Hornets appear to be moving at the right direction at the right time. Whether or not that translates to the playoffs remains to be seen, but as long as LaMelo Ball is putting up 17 points and nine assists, they're going to be a tough out.

Plus, have you ever seen a playoff game in Charlotte? That atmosphere can be absolutely nuts.

"We had a bad February and we were dropping out of the playoffs, so we just wanted to show the NBA that we're here," Bridges said. "We are going to continue to play like this and put the NBA on notice."

That's a bold prediction, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off.

Until further notice, I need to see more from the Hornets from a consistency standpoint. Charlotte could easily lose six in a row and fall completely out of favor. I want to see them win games against opponents that they should beat, much like a struggling Knicks team.

With the Knicks getting some travel for this game, and coming off a demoralizing loss to Atlanta, I would lay heavy on the 6.5 for Charlotte. The Knicks would normally be ready to go in hopes of getting back on track, but the Hornets are on fire right now and I think I can trust them more to take care of business than the Knicks of all teams. Give me Charlotte. Hornets by 12

The Knicks are 16-20 ATS as an underdog this season.

The over is 14-11 when the Knicks are a road underdog this season.

The Hornets are 31-20 ATS as a favorite the past three seasons.

PG: Alec Burks

SG: Evan Fournier

SF: RJ Barrett

PF: Julius Randle

C: Mitchell Robinson

PG: LaMelo Ball

SG: Terry Rozier

SF: Miles Bridges

PF: P.J. Washington

C: Mason Plumlee

Knicks: Nerlens Noel (foot, out), Derrick Rose (out), Cam Reddish (out), Kemba Walker (out)

Hornets: Gordon Hayward (ankle,out)

Points: Julius Randle -- 20.3

Rebounds: Julius Randle -- 10.0

Assists: Julius Randle -- 5.1

Points: Miles Bridges -- 20.0

Rebounds: Mason Plumlee -- 8.0

Assists: LaMelo Ball -- 7.4