Charlotte Hornets vs Washington Wizards Prediction: Metropolitan club to claim victory

The Hornets defeated the Wizards three times last season, and in the upcoming game Charlotte is considered the favorite even despite losing two key players. Washington defeated their current opponent in the preseason. Can they repeat their success in the regular season?

The Hornets are only 13th in the Eastern Conference, but there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Head coach Steve Clifford recently expressed hope that LaMelo Ball will return to the court in the near future, and Terry Rozier has already played in the recent regular season game. The situation is less clear on Gordon Hayward, but it's unlikely there's anything serious wrong with his shoulder. That said, the team's role players have opened up nicely. Nick Richards is putting up good screens and is going in the top 10 in the NBA in screen assists, helping his teammates a lot. Dennis Smith Jr. is not only useful on offense, but also in his own half. Smith Jr. is one of the league's best defensive rebounding prospects, trailing only Alex Caruso, De'Anthony Melton and OG Anunoby, who are known for their defensive skills. The Hornets are trying to compensate for their lack of skill with effort and may have the most distance run per game of any team in the league.

Last game Steve Clifford's team lost 94-98 to Brooklyn and that was their 4th loss in a row. The bench combined for only 1 of 11 three-pointers made that night, dropping the team's three-point percentage to 33.3 percent. Oubre and Rozier did well from beyond the arc, but their shooting percentage from the field left much to be desired. It did not help that the Hornets won the battle on the opposite side of the floor with 13 offensive rebounds.

The Wizards lost five of their six previous regular-season games, dropping to 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The Metropolitan club is only 24th in offensive ranking and the defense has been struggling of late. Currently, Washington is without a single player who is hitting at least 40% of his three-pointers and Will Barton continues to be the leading scorer. Corey Kispert recently returned to the lineup and should have added firepower at the arc for the Wizards, but he hasn't hit once from beyond the arc in 2 games, making a total of 8 attempts. Delon Wright is still in the infirmary, and Bradley Beal is unlikely to play against Charlotte.

Less than 24 hours ago, Wes Unseld Jr. team faced Memphis on the road and lost, 97-103. On defense the Wizards could do nothing about their opponent's fast breaks, while offense was struggling without Bradley Beal. Deni Avdija, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma combined on just 10 of 39 shots from the field, and Monte Morris was the only one who had a more or less acceptable shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

Back when Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward were still in the lineup, Charlotte was having trouble scoring points, so having Rozier back in the lineup doesn't change things that drastically. Washington will have a tougher time without Beal, but if Porzingis and Kuzma had played more effectively, the Wizards would have had a chance to beat Memphis. The Capital club has good defense in the paint, and they played well in that regard in the last game, even though their opponent is known for its ability to score a lot of points under the basket. Our prediction is as follows:

• H2 (+3.5) for 1.76;
• TU (220.5) for 1.645;
• W2 (incl. OT) for 2.10.

Telecom Asia Sport is looking for tipsters from India. Contact jobs@telecomasia.net for more information.