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Hornets vs Nets Odds and Picks

Eric Rosales

by Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball

Updated Apr 1, 2021 · 11:37 AM PDT

Joe Harris jumping and reaching for errant pass
Joe Harris should feature more prominently Thursday when the Brooklyn Nets host the Charlotte Hornets, as James Harden is questionable with a hamstring injury. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
  • East-leading Brooklyn Nets host the Charlotte Hornets Thursday night
  • James Harden left the Nets’ last game with a hamstring injury
  • Get the latest Hornet vs Nets odds, betting preview and a pick below

It’s scary to think how good the Brooklyn Nets could be when they are actually whole. That definitely won’t be next game, when they host an upstart Charlotte Hornets team who’ve more than held their ground since losing their own budding star.

Already minus Kevin Durant, the Nets lost James Harden to right hamstring soreness in their win against the Rockets Wednesday night. With Brooklyn entering the second of a back-to-back, one of the candidates for MVP will be questionable Thursday.

It’s forced the bookmakers to take a few extra beats to handicap this one, finally settling on Brooklyn as 3.5-point favorites early this morning.

Hornets vs Nets Odds

Team Spread at FanDuel Moneyline Total
Charlotte Hornets +3.5 (-110) +132 Ov 224.5 (-108)
Brooklyn Nets -3.5 (-110) -156 Un 224.5 (-112)

Odds as of Mar 31. Tip-off is Thursday at 7:30pm ET

Where Brooklyn’s At

The last time Kevin Durant played in a game for the Nets was February 13 in a win over the Golden State Warriors. That helped the Nets to a modest two-game win streak. Since then, without arguably the best player in basketball not named LeBron James, the Nets have ripped off 17 wins over the last 20 games.

Their come-from-behind 120-108 win over the Rockets Tuesday vaulted them into first place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game up on the Philadelphia 76ers. That’s some rare air for the franchise, who have not touched that peak since the 2003 season.

With LaMarcus Aldridge yet to make his debut and Harden exiting with under five minutes to play in the third quarter, there was still plenty of firepower on the floor.

Kyrie Irving paced the attack with 31 points, 12 dimes and six rebounds, while Joe Harris drilled seven three-balls en route to 28 points, while adding six boards.

Offensively, Brooklyn should be able to hang with one superstar. The Nets lead the league in scoring, are fourth in three-point shooting at a 39.1% clip, and they lead the NBA in field goal shooting at 49.4%. But will that offense be able to outscore the problems with a depleted roster? The Nets rank 26th in points allowed per game.

Life Without LaMelo

Hands up if you though the Hornets’ play would dive off a cliff when it was announced LaMelo Ball was gone for the year with a wrist injury. Ditto.

But Charlotte has proven to be a resilient group. Since Losing Ball in a loss to the Clippers on March 20, the Hornets have reeled off four wins in five games, with the only blemish an overtime defeat to the Phoenix Suns. They’ve moved to fourth in the East with a 24-22 mark.

Every one of Charlotte’s key guys has picked up the slack with Ball, the overwhelming favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year, on the shelf. Gordon Hayward, Devonte Graham and Malik Monk have all led the team in scoring once, while Terry Rozier has done it two times.

Charlotte doesn’t burn out scoreboard lights like the Nets, but they are fourth in the NBA in assists per game, shoot the three at 38.4% rate, which ranks sixth in the league and they’re 10th in offensive rebounds, which lets them gain valuable extra possessions.

They’re a middle-of-the-pack defense in points allowed per game, and they rank ninth in opponent three-point shooting, which will be tested thoroughly on Thursday.

What’s the Best Bet?

The Hornets are 5-0 ATS in their last five games, while Brooklyn is 1-6 ATS in their last seven. Though these teams are vastly different since their first meeting this year — a Charlotte 106-104 win on Dec 27 — keep the total in mind. Charlotte has gone under in six of their previous seven games, with the Nets settling under the total in five of their last six.

I think it’s too risky for Brooklyn to toss Harden out there so quickly after his injury, no matter how minor, and this Hornets team has a nice mix of young energy and solid vets to hang with most competition. I think their shooting and Brooklyn’s turnstile defense keeps them in this one throughout.

The pick: Hornets +3.5 (-110) 

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