The Brooklyn Nets have finally reached the top of the Eastern Conference standings, but they’ll need to do some work to stay there as they host Charlotte on Thursday. Wednesday’s come-from-behind win over Houston vaulted the Nets (33-15 SU, 23-25 ATS) into first place entering their encounter with a Hornets team (24-22 SU, 26-19-1 ATS) that has won four of five.
- Date/Time: April 1, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Barclays Center
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: Nets -3 | O/U 233.5 (Line History)
- Hornets vs Nets Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The line opened at -3 in favor of the hosts; it has since moved to -3.5 but will likely shift again depending on injury news. The total has gone from a -233.5 open down to -229.5, but that is also subject to change.
Charlotte News & Notes
The loss of talented rookie point guard LaMelo Ball was supposed to sink the Hornets’ chances at a top-four seed in the East. Instead, Charlotte has rallied around a balanced offense and vastly improved defense (100.8 ppg allowed in the past five games) to soar back above the .500 mark and occupy fourth place in the conference entering Thursday’s marquee matchup.
How have the Hornets overcome the loss of their sensational first-year playmaker? By spreading the wealth: Four players (Terry Rozier, Malik Monk, Devonte’ Graham and Gordon Hayward) are averaging better than 17 points in the five games since Ball went down, while three of those guys (Rozier, Graham, Hayward) are dishing out more than four assists per game in that span.
Brooklyn News & Notes
It wasn’t pretty, but the Nets surged into the No. 1 spot in the East with a comeback win over a lowly Houston team that put up more of a fight than the home team expected. The news wasn’t all good, however, as Brooklyn lost star guard James Harden to a third-quarter hamstring injury that has him listed as questionable for Thursday night’s encounter.
Regardless of whether Harden plays, the Hornets will need to be mindful of point guard Kyrie Irving, who is enjoying another terrific season with the Nets. Irving is averaging a career-best 28.2 points per game while shooting a blistering 51.8 percent from the floor – well ahead of his career rate of 46.9. He had 25 points in a 106-104 Charlotte win the last time these teams met on December 27.
Betting Pick: UNDER 229.5 (-110)
This one will hinge heavily on Harden’s status, but given the way the Hornets have defended lately, they should be able to keep a weary Nets offense at bay (relatively speaking).
- The Hornets are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games.
- The Nets are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games.
- The UNDER is 6-1 in Charlotte’s last 7 games.
