The Charlotte Hornets (7-6) can extend a five-game home winning streak when they take on the Sacramento Kings (5-9). Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 23 and can be seen on CSA and FxS.
The Hornets enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out the 76ers 113-88 on Friday. Al Jefferson was a key piece, recording his third double-double of the season with 26 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings, meanwhile, are coming off a 97-91 win against the Magic on Saturday. DeMarcus Cousins claimed his seventh double-double of the season with 29 points and 12 rebounds.
Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum have been better than usual over the last five games for the Hornets. During that stretch, Walker has averaged 19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers, while Batum has recorded 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 3.4 three-pointers a game. The Kings also have their own player combo that has upped their production in that same time frame. Rajon Rondo has averaged 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers, while Cousins has put up 32.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.8 blocks, and 1.5 three-pointers.
The Hornets are a four-point favorite against Sacramento and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 205 points. The Hornets come into this game 7-6 Straight Up (SU) and 7-5-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Hornets have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the league in home offense with 108.7 points per game. Charlotte is the most disciplined team in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.96.
As for their opponent, the Kings have a record of 7-7 ATS and 5-9 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Sacramento is 4-2 SU and ATS. The Kings convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking third in the league at .389. Sacramento is the fifth-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 19.6 per game.
These two will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Sacramento came out on top, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. They are also even ATS in their last 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cha, ATS Winner – Sac, O/U – Over
Notes
Charlotte is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Charlotte’s last 10 games at home.
Charlotte is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Charlotte is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Sacramento.
Charlotte is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Sacramento.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Charlotte’s last 6 games when playing Sacramento.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Charlotte’s last 10 games when playing at home against Sacramento.
Charlotte is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Sacramento.
On average, Sacramento puts up 103.2 points per game (ranked seventh). Charlotte ranks 11th in points allowed per game with 99.5.
Sacramento and Charlotte are well matched, ranking 10th in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Sacramento puts up an average of 101.8 points on the road, while Charlotte allows 97.5 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Hornets are 5-2 on the season. When the Kings score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 1-5.
When Charlotte allows at least 100 points, the team has a poor 2-4 record this season. The Kings are at 0.500 when they hit the century mark (4-4).
The Kings have a defensive rating of 104.9 (ranked 22nd). The Hornets rank fourth for their offensive rating of 106.1.
Charlotte averages fewer possessions per game than Sacramento, with 96.9 compared to 101.9. However, the Hornets score an average of 1.061 points per possession, more than the 1.013 that the Kings score.
Charlotte is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 50.6% (ranked seventh in the NBA). Sacramento is a subpar 3-6 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Charlotte makes an average of 21.5 assists per game (ranked 16th). Sacramento ranks higher in assists with 23.6 (ranked sixth).
The Charlotte Hornets average 6.0 blocks per game for a rank of sixth. The Sacramento Kings rank lower (29th), earning 3.4 blocks each game.
The Charlotte Hornets rank 30th in offensive rebounding, while the Sacramento Kings rank 15th in defensive rebounding.
On average, Sacramento makes 8.6 steals per game. Charlotte is a losing 1-3 when it gives up at least 8 steals.