NBA Picks

Charlotte Hornets vs Indiana Pacers NBA Picks, Odds, Predictions 10/20/21

Indiana Pacers (0-0) vs. Charlotte Hornets (0-0)
October 20, 2021 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Charlotte Hornets -2; Over/Under: 224.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets meet Wednesday in NBA action at the Spectrum Center. The Indiana Pacers are coming off a 34-win season and will begin the coaching debut of Rick Carlisle. The Charlotte Hornets are looking for their first playoff trip since the 2015-16 season.

The Indiana Pacers have the pieces in place to be a legit playoff team in the East, but health is key for this franchise. Caris LeVert and TJ Warren remain banged up from last year and may ease into significant minutes. Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner have battled injuries the last couple of seasons as well, but they appear to be ready to go. If all of those guys can stay on the court, and you mix in Malcolm Brogdon, the Pacers have the ability to make some noise in the East. Heck, even Jeremy Lamb has struggled with injuries these last two seasons and hopes to get back to where he was with the Charlotte Hornets a few years ago. The Pacers have the players and the coach, it’s just a matter of staying on the court.

The Charlotte Hornets enter the fourth season under coach James Borrego, and we’re starting to see a plan take shape. LaMelo Ball is proving to be a star in this league, and Terry Rozier has developed into a solid shooting guard who can take over for stretches. P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges form a nice tandem at power forward, and the addition of Mason Plumlee gives them a legit big in the post. The Hornets also made one of the more underrated signings this off season in Kelly Oubre Jr. However, the Hornets’ ceiling raises greatly if Gordon Hayward can finally get healthy, as he’s had trouble staying on the court each of the last four seasons. On paper, the Hornets are a playoff caliber team, but health and youth do raise some question marks.

The Pacers are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 road games and 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Hornets are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games as a favorite. The over is 10-3 in Pacers last 13 overall. The under is 26-11 in Hornets last 37 overall. The Pacers are 3-10 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Charlotte.

The Pacers have won seven of the last 10 meetings against the Hornets, but it’s hard to trust them until they get healthy. LeVert and Warren are still out, and other Pacers are dealing with minor injuries that have them questionable. The Hornets are in better shape at the moment and have the athletic ability to push the pace in this cotnest. Not a great opening spot for the Pacers. I’ll lay the bucket with the Hornets.

Randy Chambers's Free Pick: Charlotte Hornets -2

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Randy Chambers

Randy has covered sports betting since 2014 and writes about everything from NFL to WNBA. Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter.

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