NBA: Washington Wizards vs. Charlotte Hornets Preview, Odds, Prediction

One of the biggest positive surprises in the NBA so far, the Washington Wizards, visit the Charlotte Hornets, who are on a three-game winning streak. For many, this is the most interesting matchup this Wednesday, and that’s why we wanted to cover it. The Wizards are topping the East at the moment, and if the regular season was to end right now, they would be facing the Hornets. As said before, both teams are in excellent shape and expect nothing but a victory from this contest.

Preview

Washington Wizards (10-3, +110) have five consecutive wins, and in four of those games, we saw Under points. It seems that apart from the very versatile and diverse offense, Wes Unseld Jr. also created one hell of a defense, that relies upon the quickness of his players.

The Wizards have defeated the Grizzlies, Bucks, Cavs, Magic, and in the last game, the Pelicans. The event against New Orleans occurred in DC, with the hosts winning 105-100, following a comeback after a 19-point deficit.

Spencer Dinwiddie had 27 points, with nine assists and five boards, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 18. Montrezl Harrell added 15 off the bench, and sophomore Deni Avdija posted a double-double off the bench with 11 points and 10 boards. We need to add that the Wizards appeared without their best player, Bradley Beal, who will be a game-time decision for this contest as well.

Charlotte Hornets (8-7, -133) are also one very potent crew. Believe it or not, they score 113.3 points and lead the East Conference, but over the last few games, we’ve seen a slight slowdown in that aspect of the play. Still, it didn’t affect the Hornets’ record, yet instead, it only got better, winning three in a row.

James Borrego’s guys had a pretty rough schedule, and were on tour through the West. The last game on that road trip marked the start of their winning streak, with them beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 118-108. After that, Charlotte defeated the Knicks and the league-leaders, the Warriors, both at home.

Hornets took out GSW, 106-102, with three of their players having 20 or more points – Miles Bridges 22, LaMelo Ball 21 and Terry Rozier 20. Cody Martin was solid off the bench with 12 points and eight boards. Overall, the difference was made because of the Warriors’ poor shooting percentage, only nine hits in 39 shots.

Head to Head Games

The Hornets were more successful last year, winning two out of three games, but in the latest one, the Wizards were victorious.

Prediction

Our money here would be on Hornets, who are in one hell of a shape. Yes, the Wizards are on top of the conference, and they have five victories in a row, but the fact that they recently beat the Warriors, and before that the Knicks, is simply forcing us to bet on their success. The home-court advantage will play a big role, and that is one more reason why to back up the hosts. With all due respect to Washington, fell free to stake some money on Charlotte, especially if Beal isn’t available in this match too.

Pick: Hornets Win