The Hornets take on the Hawks in the Eastern Conference’s 9-10 play-in tournament game. Each team went 43-39 during the regular season and the two clubs split the season series 2-2. Atlanta finished the regular season with a point differential of +1.5 while Charlotte had a mark of +0.4.
Hornets at Hawks Odds
- Spread: Hawks -5.5 (-110)
- Total: 235.5 (-115)
- Moneyline: Hornets +185
- Watch: FuboTV
- Odds via PointsBet
Prop to Watch
- Danilo Gallinari over 4.5 rebounds: -150
With John Collins ruled out of the contest, Gallinari is expected to see more run for the Hawks and that should lead to an increase in points and rebounds from the 33-year-old forward. Gallinari is averaging 4.7 rebounds on the season.
Charlotte Continues to Thrive Without Gordon Hayward
The Hornets are expected to fold when Gordon Hayward went down, though that hasn’t been the case, as Brandon Anderson of The Action Network relays.
They’re 14-8 since the break, essentially all without Hayward, and they have the No. 2 Offensive Rating during that span per NBA Advanced Stats. They’re also quietly up to 18th on defense and 10th in Net Rating. I won’t make too much of those ratings because of the number of tanking teams late, but even a jump to average defense is meaningful for this team. The offensive leap has been notable, too.
Without Hayward, Charlotte has ramped up its 3s and turned more of the offense than ever over to LaMelo Ball, and the sophomore has been ready. He’s averaging 4.4 3s per game on 48% over the last 14 games, while Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges are also over 40% since the break. Atlanta offers little reason to believe they’ll stop Charlotte.
Anderson explains that he’s taking the Hornets’ Moneyline given that he sees the matchup as essentially a “coin flip.”
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