The Charlotte Hornets will travel to the Barclays Center to face off against the Brooklyn Nets. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 21 and can be seen on YES and FxS.
The Nets are expecting a better outcome after their 109-90 loss to the Grizzlies in their last game. Brook Lopez finished with 20 points to lead the team. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 117-95 win over the Pacers in their last outing. Kemba Walker shot 10-for-21 and led in scoring with 25 points.
Over the last five games, Walker and Nicolas Batum have been hot for the Hornets. During that stretch, Walker has averaged 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Batum has put up 17.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers.
The Nets may have trouble getting to the line in this one. They’re 29th in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (23.2), while Charlotte is among the NBA’s least foul-prone squads (yielding a free throw attempt rate of just 24.6, fifth in the NBA).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Hornets won the first game 116-111. In the loss, Thaddeus Young led all scorers on the team with 27 points.
The Nets come into this game 15-40 Straight Up (SU) and 27-27-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 15-40 SU and 27-27-1 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
On the other side, the Hornets have 28-26 SU and 27-26-1 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Charlotte is 28-26 SU and 27-26-1 ATS. The Hornets rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking third in the league with 550 made (10.0 per game). Don’t expect Charlotte to give away the ball much on offense, where its 12.3 turnovers per game are the least in the league.
Charlotte won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the win was not enough to overtake Brooklyn in the most recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the last 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cha
Notes
“Brooklyn is 7-14-1 ATS in its last 22 games “.
“Brooklyn is 5-17 SU in its last 22 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 7 of Brooklyn’s last 8 games “.
“Brooklyn is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Brooklyn is 7-13-1 ATS in its last 21 games at home”.
“Brooklyn is 5-17 SU in its last 22 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Brooklyn’s last 5 games at home”.
“Brooklyn is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing Charlotte”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Brooklyn’s last 6 games when playing Charlotte”.
“Brooklyn is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
On average, Charlotte puts up 102.0 points per game (ranked 14th). Brooklyn ranks 20th in points allowed per game with 103.5.
Charlotte puts up an average of 100.3 points per away game (ranked 14th). Brooklyn ranks 21st in points allowed per home game with 103.1.
The Nets have an even 6-6 record in games where they allow fewer than 100 points. The Hornets don’t do well when they score under 100 points, earning a 5-21 record on the season.
The Brooklyn Nets have a subpar 8-34 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Charlotte Hornets are 22-5 when they hit triple digits.
The Nets have an offensive rating of 99.8 (ranked 28th). The Hornets rank 11th for their defensive rating of 102.2.
Charlotte beats Brooklyn in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Hornets average 98.1 possessions and 1.040 points per possession, while the Nets average 96.5 possessions with .998 points per possession.
The Brooklyn Nets average an effective field goal percentage of 48.7% this season. The Charlotte Hornets have a poor record of 10-16 when opponents have an EFF% of 48.7% or greater.
On average, the Brooklyn Nets attempt 17.0 three point field goals per game and the Charlotte Hornets attempt 29.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Brooklyn has a split 1-1 record, while Charlotte is 25-20.
Brooklyn has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.48 this season (ranked 22nd). Charlotte ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.74 (ranked seventh).
The Brooklyn Nets rebound 42.7 times per game and are ranked 20th. Ranked 11th, the Charlotte Hornets rebound 44.2 times per game.
The Charlotte Hornets rank 25th in offensive rebounding, while the Brooklyn Nets rank 24th in defensive rebounding.
Charlotte has forced an average turnover percentage of 13.4% this season. Brooklyn has a poor 11-24 record when its TOV% is 13.4% or higher.
