The Brooklyn Nets seek their 34th win of the season as they welcome the Charlotte Hornets to the Barclays Center on Friday.
Two teams going in the right direction should make for a quality contest, but the Nets won’t want to give the Hornets a big lead, otherwise, they might get stung.
The Nets hauled back the Rockets after giving up a double-digit lead. If Charlotte gets its hands on that sort of lead, expect fireworks.
Brooklyn Comes Right When It Counts
The Brooklyn Nets were seemingly playing with their opposition on Wednesday. They trailed the Rockets for most of the game but ended up comfortably winning 120-108.
It was a game where Brooklyn never looked stressed about being behind on the scoreboard, which is vaguely similar to the Golden State Warriors from a few years back.
Brooklyn extended its record to 33-15 and 19-6 at Barclays Center, which is a telling statistic for any team looking to win on the road. The Nets haven’t needed to blow out teams this season; keeping some of that energy for the playoffs.
LaMarcus Aldridge has yet to take his place on the court and he will bring immense value to this unit.
“I’m not here to be an All-Star,” Aldridge told NBA.com. “That’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to bring value, try to bring the things I’m good at, and trying to help this team win. I’m not worried about being an All-Star anymore; feel like I bring enough things to the team that should help and that’s all that matters.”
This team is simply going through the gears against the inferior teams, but Charlotte doesn’t fit into that category. It has been highly respected in online betting markets throughout the season, even with the injury to LaMelo Ball.
Don’t Write Off Charlotte
It was easy to write off Charlotte when LaMelo Ball went down with a season-ending injury.
The Hornets’ odds drifted with NBA betting line markets, but they haven’t thrown in the towel. Instead, Charlotte has won six of its last 10 and four of its last five.
Recent wins over Washington, Miami and San Antonio have solidified the position of Charlotte Hornets as a team to keep an eye on. It’s currently leading the Southwest standings over Miami and Atlanta, which is a tough division.
Bettors shouldn’t be quick to write off this team and the Hornets should be competitive against Brooklyn on Thursday, despite coming up against a super team.
Charlotte is showing great heart to lead its division and it could make a statement against the best team in the Eastern Conference.
The Last Time They Met
Brooklyn is all too familiar with how dangerous Charlotte can be. The Hornets came away with a 106-104 win at home in December.
Although the win came after only three games into the 2021 season, it should give the Hornets confidence. Brooklyn still had Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the squad, so it was a quality outing.
Gordon Hayward came up trumpets for the Hornets, scoring 28 points on the 12/20 shooting. He was countered by 29 points from Durant, but it was the Hornets that held off a strong fourth-quarter challenge from the Nets.
Hornets vs Nets Game Pick
There isn’t much between these teams, but we’re giving the edge to the Brooklyn Nets.
Wednesday’s win over Houston should have given them a slight wake-up call. It’s dangerous to give teams big leads and although they fought back to win by double-digits, it’s not something they’ll want to consistently do.
Charlotte deserves to be respected in this game. We expect steady money to come for them on game night, but the scoring power of the Nets is tough to overlook.
Charlotte’s guards would need to have a big night to get the win, so take Brooklyn in what should be an exciting NBA contest.
