The Smoothie King Center is the venue for a Thursday night NBA showdown between the New Orleans Pelicans (35-37) and the Charlotte Hornets (23-50). The New Orleans Pelicans are 12th in the Western Conference going into the game, while the Charlotte Hornets are in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Expect an epic battle as the Charlotte Hornets take on the favorites, the New Orleans Pelicans. The underdogs come in determined to snatch a crucial win. Who will walk away victorious?

Form New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are coming off an impressive 119-84 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. They hope to build on this result for their next match, having only gone 5-5 in their last 10 games.

Heading into Thursday, the New Orleans Pelicans have had a middling offensive performance this season, scoring an average of 114.0 points per game. The New Orleans Pelicans defense, on the other hand, has really stepped up. In the past five outings, the hosts have only given up 107.6 points on average. This is better than how they’ve fared over the season, having allowed 113.0 points per game in comparison.

72 games down, the New Orleans Pelicans are at serious risk of failing to qualify for the Western playoffs. The hosts have lost 37 times, and unless things pick up soon, they won’t make the postseason.

The New Orleans Pelicans enter their latest game with 3 players sidelined: Jose Alvarado, Zion Williamson, EJ Liddell.

Form Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets ended their losing streak last time out by defeating Indiana Pacers with a 115-109 score, giving them a record of 3-7 in their last ten games. This season on the road, they are 11-26 and 3-2 in their past five games.

On average, Charlotte Hornets have scored 111.3 points in the NBA this season and 112.5 points when playing away from home. On the defensive end of the floor, the Charlotte Hornets haven’t had much success shutting out opposing offenses, allowing 117.4 points per game on average and 118.8 on the road.

Bidding adieu to their playoff ambitions, the Charlotte Hornets shift focus to the enticing lottery trade possibilities. They have 50 losses under their belt and a 14th position in the Eastern Conference, sitting in fifth place in the Southeast Division.

The Charlotte Hornets enter their latest game with 4 players sidelined: Cody Martin, LaMelo Ball, James Bouknight, Mark Williams.

H2H

The New Orleans Pelicans had been unsuccessful in their two prior encounters with the Charlotte Hornets, but finally tasted victory when the two sides met most recently. They achieved a 124-112 win in October 2022 at the Spectrum Center and are looking to build on that success. Given the past 10-game record of this series, it’s no surprise the New Orleans Pelicans are the ones that are favored. They went 6-4 against the Charlotte Hornets, winning seven out of the ten times they’ve played at home.

The New Orleans Pelicans tallied 113.2 points on average per game from their ten most recent showdowns against the Charlotte Hornets. The latter managed an average of 113.3 points in comparison.

Standings

Betting

At Bet365.com, you can find the odds for the upcoming New Orleans Pelicans vs Charlotte Hornets game at the Smoothie King Center.Check out their website to see all the available options.

• Moneyline (ML): Charlotte Hornets (+245) | New Orleans Pelicans (-306)
• Against the spread (ATS): Charlotte Hornets +7.5 (-110) | New Orleans Pelicans -7.5 (-110)
• Over/Under (O/U): 225.5 (-110) | (-110)

Claim your risk free bet here

Moneyline

Bet on the New Orleans Pelicans to win (1.33) on the moneyline.

The New Orleans Pelicans go into Thursday’s game with the advantage, being given -306 moneyline odds. This suggests there is a 75% chance of the hosts coming out victorious. They have been successful in six out of the last ten games at the Smoothie King Center, and their last game saw them beat the San Antonio Spurs 119-84. The Charlotte Hornets recently achieved a noteworthy victory against the Indiana Pacers, with a score of 115-109, which improved their record in their last 10 games to 3-7. Despite this strong showing, their odds of winning their upcoming away game are at +245.

If you are interested in betting on the game happening at the Smoothie King Center, it is recommended to go with the New Orleans Pelicans, as they are offering -306 to win. Their performance in the last 10 matches is 5-5, and for the entire season, they have a record of 35-37.

Against the Spread

Take the New Orleans Pelicans -7.5 (1.91) as they are the best bet.

The Smoothie King Center opens up to the New Orleans Pelicans as the 7.5-point favorites over the Charlotte Hornets. The Charlotte Hornets won three out of their last five visits to the Smoothie King Center, posting an average margin of victory of 12.0 points.

The New Orleans Pelicans are 19-16 ATS at the Smoothie King Center this season and 32-38-1 ATS overall. The previous ten home contests saw the New Orleans Pelicans cover five times. They limited their foes to 108.9 points per game and scored 114.6 points on average.

The Charlotte Hornets have gone 18-17-2 ATS on the road. Their overall record for the season is 32-39-2 ATS. In recent matchups against teams from the Western Conference, the Charlotte Hornets went 51-48 ATS. They have covered the spread in four of their latest ten games.

Over/Under

Take Total over 225.5 (1.91) on the total.

Based on their head-to-head record, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Charlotte Hornets look primed for a high-scoring affair. Both sides have seen plenty of points in their ten most recent matchups. They averaged 226.5 points between them, including 237 points in the last five at the Smoothie King Center.

The total line for the New Orleans Pelicans-Charlotte Hornets game is set at 225.5, which is 5.9 points lower than the 231.4-point average the two teams had in their last five encounters. Placing a bet on the Over in the total market will provide odds of -110.

The New Orleans Pelicans have a 34-37 O/U record for the season. Their last three games ended up below the total. The New Orleans Pelicans have gone 14-18 O/U in their most recent matchups against Southeast teams and 2-8 O/U in their last ten games overall.

The Charlotte Hornets went under the total in their last four road games. Their away record is 20-17 O/U. The last five road games involving the Charlotte Hornets failed to surpass the total four times, averaging 219.6 points per game.