The Charlotte Hornets (23-50, 11-26 Away) head to face the New Orleans Pelicans (35-37, 23-13 Home) Thursday at Smoothie King Center. Charlotte defeated the Indiana Pacers 115-109 at Spectrum Center on Monday. Kelly Oubre Jr. had a standout performance with 28 points. The Hornets are the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference.
New Orleans won in impressive fashion on Tuesday at Smoothie King Center, beating the San Antonio Spurs 119-84. Brandon Ingram had 32 points and seven assists, carrying the team. The Pelicans are 12th in the Western Conference.
The teams are meeting for the last time this season. After taking the only previous season meeting against Charlotte 124-112 at Spectrum Center in October 2022, New Orleans will be aiming for a season sweep. Jonas Valanciunas led the Pelicans with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and four assists.
Gordon Hayward had 26 points and seven assists in defeat. Terry Rozier is averaging 21.4 points per game to lead the Hornets in scoring this season. Rozier also has dished 5.1 assists per game. Meanwhile, Mason Plumlee is grabbing 9.7 rebounds.
CJ McCollum (21.0 ppg) has been the primary provider of the Pels’ offense. McCollum also has tallied 5.9 assists per game. Valanciunas has pulled down 9.8 rebounds per game.
The Pelicans have had success in the Hornets’ last 10 visits to Smoothie King Center, winning six. In the last 10 games, Charlotte is 3-7 with an average margin of -8.7 (102.8-111.5).
For the season, the Hornets are averaging 111.3 points per game, compared to 117.4 for opponents. New Orleans has split the last 10 (5-5), scoring 112.0 points per game on average while holding opponents to 109.5 (+2.5 margin).
HORNETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Nick Richards: 20.4 | 14.5 | +5.9
Rebounds per game:
Nick Richards: 9.4 | 6.1 | +3.3
Assists per game:
Terry Rozier: 7.2 | 5.1 | +2.1
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Trey Murphy III: 26.2 | 18.5 | +7.7
Larry Nance Jr.: 8.0 | 14.8 | -6.8
Points per game:
Trey Murphy III: 21.0 | 13.4 | +7.6
Rebounds per game:
Jonas Valanciunas: 12.4 | 9.8 | +2.6
Willy Hernangomez: 2.0 | 5.0 | -3.0
Assists per game:
Brandon Ingram: 7.0 | 5.1 | +1.9
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
NO Pelicans -8.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
