Portland Trail Blazers vs Charlotte Hornets 12/26/22 NBA Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Charlotte Hornets travel to the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.

The Charlotte Hornets have been in a major slump as they’ve lost nine of their last 11 games, but they will be looking to stay hot in this one after outlasting the Suns in a 134-130 road win on Friday. PJ Washington led the team with 24 points on eight of 13 shooting, LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier scored 23 points each while Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in with 19 points off the bench. As a team, the Hornets shot 55 percent from the field and 16 of 41 from the 3-point line as they poured in 70 points in the second and third quarters combined to build a 16-point lead which proved to be just enough in the end as the Lakers rallied with 43 points in the fourth quarter.  

Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers have been in a funk as they’ve lost four of their last five games and they will be hoping to snap a three-game skid after getting routed by the Nuggets in a 120-107 road loss on Friday. Damian Lillard led the way with 34 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, Jerami Grant added 20 points while Josh Hart tallied 14 points with 11 rebounds and six assists. As a team, the Trail Blazers shot 44 percent from the field and nine of 35 from the 3-point line as they looked to be in control when they exploded for 37 points in the second quarter to take the narrow lead into halftime, but they themselves down in the third quarter where they got outscored by 35-16 to get blown out in the end. Anfernee Simons had a rough night as he shot just six of 22 from the field and one of 10 from the 3-point line.

Looking at the betting trends, the Hornets are 25-12-2 ATS in their last 39 road games and 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a win. The Trail Blazers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a losing record, 4-0 ATS in their last four home games and 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.

Head to head, the over is 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings overall, the Hornets are 3-13 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Portland and the Hornets are 3-8 ATS in the last 11 meetings overall.

The Hornets could be shorthanded again as Nick Richards is doubtful while Dennis Smith Jr is listed as questionable, while the Trail Blazers are keeping eyes on Jusuf Nurkic and Josh Hart who are both questionable here. The Hornets haven’t been able to build any momentum despite getting all their key players back healthy, while the Trail Blazers need a win to get their season back on track after losing four of their last five. This should be a close one, but the Hornets are only 3-13 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Portland and I think that trend continues here as the Trail Blazers get the win and cover at home.