Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets Prediciton: Can the Hornets take revenge for their last loss?

Last season, Atlanta knocked Charlotte out of the play-ins, the Hawks are also considered the favorites in the upcoming face-to-face matchup. Can the Hornets surprise and take revenge for their last loss?

Against all expectations, Dejounte Murray is adjusting well. He scored an average of 20 points and made 10 assists in 2 games. John Collins is slowly becoming a fully-fledged third-star, but his role on offense will likely diminish as Bogdanović returns to form. The Serbian guard is still on injured reserve, but De'Andre Hunter should be a nice replacement for him. The coach is still forced to play a nine-man rotation, including Aaron Holiday and Jalen Johnson, but without rookie A.J. Griffin.
The Hawks aren't getting the strongest opponents so far, so it's no surprise that they've won two games in a row. First, the Hawks defeated Houston by 10 points and then they defeated Orlando 108-98. The Hawks shot well from behind the arc, with great credit to Justin Holiday and John Collins. Atlanta combined better and Murray with Young together made over 20 assists once again. Trae's shots were poor: 7 of his 24 attempts were successful.

The Hornets finished in the top 10 of the Eastern Conference at the end of last season, but it will be very difficult to repeat their success. The team hasn't been able to fully staff its roster, and the situation with Miles Bridges has taken its toll on the team. Overall, Charlotte has become a legal trouble zone for basketball players: not only Bridges and Bouknight, but also Montrezl Harrell, who later left the Hornets, got arrested in the offseason. Now the coach is experimenting with big men, giving playing time to Nick Richards and Jalen McDaniels. Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward are Charlotte's offensive leaders, while LaMelo Ball is out due to injury. Also Cody Martin's participation in the game against Atlanta is under question.
Steve Clifford's team started the regular season with a win over San Antonio, but then couldn't handle New Orleans, 112-124. The Hornets had poor defense, and missed half of their points. The Hornets shot well from behind the arc, and that was the only reason they kept the game intriguing for a long time. Hayward and Rozier were the most prolific scorers for Charlotte, scoring 26 and 23 points respectively.

The Hornets can't improve their play under their basket - the problem existed even under James Borrego as head coach. Steve Clifford knows how to form defense and Charlotte plays rather lengthy games under him. The absence of LaMelo Ball also has its effects. That's why the team has big problems scoring points against New Orleans at times. Atlanta won both of their games at the start of the regular season but even against the underdogs in the league it was not easy for the Hawks. Trae Young isn't in his best shape yet, so we shouldn't expect any action. We offer the following betting options:

• TU 230.5 for 1.8;
• Atlanta's handicap (-10.5) for 1.95;
• John Collins: TO 16.5 for 1,768;

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