New Orleans Pelicans vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 17/01/2024, 02:00  by Kennedy Kechula in NBA Predictions

The New Orleans Pelicans will welcome the lowly Charlotte Hornets for the second and final NBA regular season matchup between them. New Orleans at present sits sixth in the Western Conference while Charlotte is 13th in the East. The Pelicans have stuttered in recent outings. Willie Green’s men have lost three times in their last six fixtures. They were defeated 125-120 last time out away in Dallas leaving them with a 24-17 record. It was the second game of a back-to-back with the Mavericks and the Pelicans had won the first matchup. New Orleans, who will continue to be without Matt Ryan, won the first meeting with Charlotte 112-107. It was their third successive victory in this fixture. The Pelicans have the 11th best-ranked defence and are holding teams to 112 points a night.

The Charlotte Hornets have lost five in a row. They were defeated 104-87 away to the Heat last time out and for the third successive game scored under 100 points. Charlotte is one of the worst-performing sides this season. They have lost 29 of the 37 games they have played and have lost 11 of 12 matchups against Western Conference teams. Their only victory was a shock 111-104 success in Sacramento. This remains to be their only victory in the last 17 outings. Charlotte welcomed back Lamelo Ball from a lengthy injury absence earlier this week and the guard has been one of their bright sparks. Ball has played the last two games and has scored over 20 points in both. Gordon Hayward and Mark Williams are ruled out for this game. Brandon Miller and Frank Ntilikina are ‘Questionable’.