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The shorthanded Charlotte Hornets will try to make it 3 wins in a row against the Pelicans, despite the odds clearly not being in their favor. The Pelicans are 4 points spread favorites to win this NBA clash on the road.
Charlotte (12-24, 7-12 home) played some really poor basketball this season – they have playoff talent, but the team is just not clicking. However, Charlotte put together a mini-run of 2 wins in a row just when it seemed the most unlikely. The Hornets defeated Orlando and Boston, not exactly top class opponents but a pretty impressive feat considering that Charlotte is missing its two best players: Al Jefferson and Lance Stephenson. The pair will also miss today and it remains to be seen if the Hornets can cope without them for a 3rd straight game, this time against much better opposition.
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The Pelicans (17-17, 6-12 away) are involved in a dogfight for the last playoff spot in the West, which really speaks about how strong this team is, considering the fact that the NBA Western Conference is absolutely stacked with quality. New Orleans has one of the best players in the league in Anthony Davis and he has helped this team to some decent results so far. This will be the most accessible game for NO in a long time, after the team encountered only championship contenders in the last few weeks (with reasonable success). Last time out, the Pelicans lost a close game with Washington, but the play of Eric Gordon (coming back from injury) was a nice consolation.
This is the type of game that New Orleans really has to win if they are to reach the playoffs in the stacked Western Conference and I`m pretty sure they will do just that. Listen, the Pelicans still have their shortcomings, most notably a below-par bench, but there`s no doubt they are much better than these Hornets. I really doubt Charlotte can play three good games in a row without Jefferson and Stephenson – especially Big Al Jefferson is absolutely key for this team and actually even coach Clifford seemed a little bit surprised after the Boston win – saying they are struggling to play without Al. Look for New Orleans to abuse Charlotte under the paint, they have the best big man in the league in Anthony Davis, while Charlote, as I said, misses Big Al.
My tip is New Orleans to win and I reckon they`ll cover the low 4 point spread as well. The Pelicans are the better team, they have an excellent frontcourt matchup and the Hornets are very likely to have a below-par performance after playing good basketball shorthanded in the last two outings. Prediction: Charlotte Hornets – New Orleans Pelicans 88-100.
Pick: Pelicans -4
Odds: 1.95 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.6
Event date: 7 January
