It will be a battle between Southeast Division opponents when the Charlotte Hornets (19-27) welcome the Atlanta Hawks (14-33) to Spectrum Center. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, January 26, 2018, and will air on Fox Sports Carolina.
Charlotte opened as a 7-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 209 points.
Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Hornets Free Prediction
The Hawks are hoping for a better outcome after their 108-93 loss to the Toronto Raptors in their last contest. One of Toronto’s biggest advantages was getting to the free throw line. They had 25 free throw attempts, while Atlanta had 17. Atlanta’s John Collins had a good outing, contributing 13 points and 16 rebounds.
In the Hornets’ last game, they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans, 101-96. New Orleans’ effective field goal percentage was their largest strength over Charlotte. The Pelicans had a rate of 0.500 (below their season average of 0.549), while the Hornets posted a mark of 0.459 (below the 0.525 mark opponents have averaged against New Orleans this season). Charlotte’s Dwight Howard put together a solid game, leading both teams in scoring with 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting.
Ball security could play a key role in this matchup. Charlotte commits the third-fewest miscues in the NBA (turnover percentage of 12.6 percent), while the disruptive defense of Atlanta forces the most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 15.8 percent). Furthermore, the Hawks, who rank 21st in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.184), could struggle to get to the line against the Hornets, who rank fifth in opponents’ FTA rate (0.174).
Atlanta comes into the game with records of 14-33 straight up (SU) and 25-20-2 against the spread (ATS). A little over half of the Hawks’ games have finished under the projected point total.
Meanwhile, Charlotte is 19-27 SU and 18-24-4 ATS. A little over half of Hornets games have also finished under the projected point total.
Howard has averaged 16.0 rebounds, 15.6 points, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals over the last five games for Charlotte.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Kemba Walker scored a game-high 26 points and the Hornets defeated the Hawks 109-91, covering as 4.5-point favorites. He also put up nine assists. The game finished with a total of 200 points, which was just 5 points below the projected point total of 205 points. The Hornets had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (27.3 vs. 11.8) and had a much better free throw rate (0.279 vs. 0.126).
Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Hornets ATS Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Hornets, ATS Winner – Hornets, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Atlanta is 12-9-2 ATS on the road with 13 unders and 10 overs.
At home, Charlotte is 11-15-1 ATS with 15 unders and 12 overs.
Charlotte is 8-2 when they allow under 100 points, while Atlanta is 7-3.
In games where they reach 100 points, the Hawks are 13-18 and the Hornets are 18-11.
Charlotte ranks second in rebounds per game (46.7) while Atlanta ranks 25th (41.2).
The Hawks rank fifth in assists per game (23.7) while the Hornets rank 28th (20.7).
Charlotte ranks second in steals allowed per game (6.6) while Atlanta ranks 23rd (8.4).
The Hornets rank first in second chance points allowed per game (9.5) while the Hawks rank 22nd (13.2).
Atlanta ranks second in points off turnovers per game (18.7) while Charlotte ranks 20th (15.9).
The Hornets rank fifth in fast break points allowed per game (9.6) while the Hawks rank 19th (12.0).
Charlotte ranks 16th in points in the paint per game (43.4) while Atlanta ranks 28th (40.9).
The Hornets rank 16th in blocks per game (4.8) while the Hawks rank 26th in blocks allowed per game (5.3).
Atlanta ranks 13th in three pointers attempted per game (29.2) while Charlotte ranks 21st in three pointers allowed per game (29.9).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Atlanta is 3-2 ATS with 5 unders.
Charlotte is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Hawks’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 2.6, down from 4.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Hornets have scored an average of 112.8 points per game (7.2 above their season average) and allowed an average of 106.0 points per game (0.3 above their season average).
