Toronto Raptors vs Charlotte Hornets 1/12/23 NBA Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Charlotte Hornets invade the Scotiabank Arena to take on the Toronto Raptors once again on Thursday night in NBA action.

The Charlotte Hornets have been in a slump as they’ve lost eight of their last 10 games overall and they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after getting routed by the Raptors in a 132-120 road win on Tuesday. Terry Rozier led the team with 33 points on 14 of 19 shooting, LaMelo Ball tallied 24 points with 14 assists while Mason Plumlee chipped in with 21 points on nine of 10 shooting. As a team, the Hornets shot 54 percent from the field and 15 of 35 from the 3-point line as they kept pace with the Raptors for three tight quarters, before they allowed the Raptors to pour in 36 points in the fourth quarter to pull away in the end. The Hornets got next to nothing from their bench who combined for just 18 points and Dennis Smith Jr had a night to forget as he scored just two points on one of seven shooting.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors have been in decent shape as they’ve split their last 10 games and they will be aiming for a third straight victory after beating the Hornets on Tuesday. Pascal Siakam led the team with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, OG Anunoby added 22 points, Gary Trent Jr scored 24 points while Fred VanVleet chipped in with 11 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. As a team, the Raptors shot 49 percent from the field and a sizzling 20 of 46 from the 3-point line as they poured in 72 points in the first half to take the early lead, before they finished with a flurry of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to make it a blowout.

Looking at the betting trends, the Hornets are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record and 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games following a loss of more than 10 points. The Raptors are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games, 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games against a team with a losing record and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a win.

Head to head, the over is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Toronto and the over is 12-5-1 in the last 18 meetings overall. The Hornets will be shorthanded once again as Kelly Oubre Jr and Gordon Hayward are both out, while the Raptors are still missing Otto Porter Jr. It’s always tough to beat the same team twice in a row, but the Hornets have been one of the coldest teams in the league all season and they’ve looked completely disinterested at times, so I’ll happily go with the Raptors to continue their rise in form with another win and cover at home.