The Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks are trending in opposite directions. Making Charlotte Hornets picks, at least for them, has become increasingly difficult due to losing star guard LaMelo Ball for the season with an ankle injury. The Hornets (20-46) are essentially locked into one of the top four draft lottery spots.
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks standings have them fifth in the East and have an opportunity to both distance themselves another game from the play-in line and draw closer to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 6-4 over their last ten and just 1.5 games ahead of the Knicks.
Here is a breakdown of each team, the Hornets vs Knicks odds and picks.
Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks Odds
Hornets vs Knicks odds show New York is favored by 10 points with -110 odds on either side of the spread. The Knicks are -485 on the moneyline, the largest favorites on Tuesday’s NBA schedule, while the Hornets are +370. The over/under is set at 225.5 points at -110 odds on either side of the point total.
The Hornets’ over/under is 108 points, and the Knicks’ over/under is 118 points, with -115 odds on either side of those spreads.
As the NBA playoffs approach, fans and bettors alike are eagerly checking NBA odds to see which teams are favored to win it all.
Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks Matchup Information
Charlotte Hornets vs New York Knicks
Location of the Game: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY.
Date and Time: Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 7:30 PM ET.
How to Watch: MSG | Bally Sports Southeast | NBA League Pass | https://livestreamsports.co/
Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks Betting Preview
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets seemingly can not put together a great showing on either end of the floor, and the offensive end got more difficult losing Ball, who averaged 23.3 points, 8.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game in 36 contests.
The Hornets are 26th in scoring 111.8 points per game, 28th in making 45.4% of field goal attempts, and the worst team in the league in making 32.7% of 3-point shots, NBA team stats show. They are 27th in making 75.0% of free throw attempts but eighth in rebounding 45.0 times per game.
Defensively, the Hornets are also 26th in allowing 117.9 points per game, but their defensive efficiency is a little better. They are 19th in allowing teams to convert 47.8% of field goal attempts, and they are 18th in holding teams to 36.2% on 3-point shots. Charlotte allows the second most rebounds, however, at 46.5 per game.
Challenges of Rebuilding for Steve Clifford and the Hornets
Steve Clifford had a rebuild job when he took over as coach, and the fast tempo has not yielded winning results. Of course, only having Ball for 36 of 66 games does not help either. But they are only 13-23 with him, so there is plenty of room to improve.
This seems like a golden opportunity for them to develop talent and try to build the culture that Clifford, an accomplished coach, wants.
The Hornets are 28-35-3 against the spread and 29-36-1 on over/unders this season. They are 9-26 straight up on the road. As underdogs, the Hornets are 21-27-3 against the spread, which includes a 7-5-1 record against the spread when underdogs of 10 or more points. They are 10-8 against the spread on the road against teams with a winning record.
New York Knicks
Who knew that signing Jalen Brunson would be enough to elevate the Knicks? Though they could probably get by without him if he is unable to suit up – he is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. NBA player stats show he is averaging 23.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game while converting 41.1% of 3-point shots.
As one would expect with a team coached by Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks are among the best defensive teams in the league. They are eighth in holding teams to 112.4 points per game, third in limiting teams to 45.4% on field goal attempts, and fourth at holding teams to 34.6% on 3-point shots. They are also 13th defensively at holding teams to 43.0 rebounds per game.
Knicks’ Offensive Struggles: Decent Scoring but Lacking Efficiency
The offensive end has caused more struggles, though. While the Knicks rank 12th in scoring 115.5 points per game, they are not the most efficient.
The Knicks are 22nd in making 46.7% of field goal attempts, 20th in making 35.3% of 3-point shots, and 22nd in making 76.6% of free throw attempts. They are also third in rebounding 46.9 times per game.
This season the Knicks are 37-26-3 against the spread and 36-29-1 on over/unders. They are only 19-15 straight up at home, which is odd that they have a better record on the road.
New York is 16-13-2 against the spread as favorites and 0-1 against the spread when favored by ten or more. The Knicks are 1-8-2 against the spread at home against teams with a losing record.
Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks Betting Picks
The Knicks have barely favored better in one of the newer NBA matchups. They have 64 wins, while the Hornets have 56 in 120 regular season NBA games. The Knicks have won the last two meetings, but the teams each have three wins over the last six. In those two wins, the Knicks won in overtime by three (Charlotte +7.5, O225) and on the road by 19 (Knicks -4, U224.5).
Should the star of the Knicks’ show, Brunson, be out, that raises some perimeter concerns for New York. It would be losing its best 3-point shooter and valuable floor spacing as the Hornets could pack the paint a little more to slow down Julius Randle, even though the Hornets’ frontcourt has been horrible all season.
Providing more support defensively could slow the Knicks offense down. With Ball also out, we like the under 225.5 points at -115 odds. Meanwhile, 59% of public bets available side with the over.
Regardless of whether Brunson plays or not, we like the Hornets vs Knicks odds to benefit Hornets bettors. Ten points is a lot at the most elite level of basketball, and the Hornets have done well as double-digit underdogs while the Knicks have lost their one game as double-digit favorites.
The Garden has not been too big for visiting teams, including the Hornets in late October.
We’ll go with Hornets +10.
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