The Charlotte Hornets (10-18) will be at home in Spectrum Center when they square off against the Portland Trail Blazers (15-13). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 16, 2017.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte Hornets Free Preview
The last time the Trail Blazers played, they defeated the Orlando Magic, 95-88. With 20 points, CJ McCollum put together a solid game for Portland. The Trail Blazers held the Magic to an effective field goal percentage of 0.440 (below their season average of 0.526) and had a better turnover percentage (13.1 vs. 14.0).
The Hornets are trying to rebound after their 104-98 loss to the Miami Heat in their last outing. With 15 points and 16 rebounds, Dwight Howard put together a good performance for Charlotte. Miami had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.571 vs. 0.470). Charlotte, meanwhile, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (23.9 vs. 13.9).
The inefficient offense of Charlotte (22nd in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 103.2) will battle against the top-notch defense of Portland (third in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 102.2). The Trail Blazers should have the edge on that end of the court.
Of Portland’s 27 games with betting action, 19 have finished under the O/U total, while 14 of Charlotte’s 27 games have finished under the projected point total. The Trail Blazers have the superior straight up (SU) record (15-13 vs. 10-18), but both teams have similar against the spread (ATS) records. Portland is 11-13-3 ATS, while Charlotte is 11-14-2 ATS.
Howard has been playing at a high level over the last five games for Charlotte, averaging 21.8 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. Each won one of the two games played against each other last season. The Trail Blazers won the most recent game 115-98. The Trail Blazers played a nearly flawless game. They had an offensive rebounding percentage of 22.0 and a phenomenally low turnover percentage of 7.2. For those same stats, the Hornets were 7.0 and 8.7, respectively.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte Hornets Betting Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Hornets, ATS Winner – Hornets, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Trail Blazers rank fifth in rebounds allowed per game (41.3) while the Hornets rank 20th (44.0).
- Charlotte ranks 19th in fast break points per game (9.4) while Portland ranks 29th (5.2).
- Charlotte ranks 14th in points in the paint per game (43.5) while Portland ranks 27th (40.1).
- Charlotte ranks first in second chance points allowed per game (10.1) while Portland ranks seventh (11.3).
- Portland is 7-4-1 ATS on the road with 8 unders and 4 overs.
- At home, Charlotte is 8-6 ATS with 8 unders and 6 overs.
- Portland is 11-3 when they hold opponents under 100 points, while Charlotte is 5-1.
- In games where they score more than 100 points, the Hornets are 10-7 and the Trail Blazers are 12-6.
- The Hornets rank first in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.4) while the Trail Blazers rank 12th (16.1).
- Portland ranks second in three pointers allowed per game (25.2) while Charlotte ranks 27th (31.5).
- The Trail Blazers rank first in assists allowed per game (18.2) while the Hornets rank 17th (22.9).
- The Hornets rank fifth in steals allowed per game (7.0) while the Trail Blazers rank 12th (7.9).
- Portland ranks fifth in blocks per game (5.4) while Charlotte ranks 20th (4.5).
Bettings Trends:
- Charlotte is 1-3-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Portland is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Hornets’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 4.8, up from 2.1 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Trail Blazers have scored an average of 102.0 points per game (1.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 104.8 points per game (3.9 above their season average).
