Charlotte Hornets vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction: Portland to put up a fight on the road

Charlotte has lost 5 games in a row, and the team will try to break the losing streak in a match against Portland. Two years in a row the Hornets beat the Blazers at home. Can the home team do it this time?

Charlotte Hornets

With only 3 wins in 11 regular-season games, Charlotte sits 13th in the Eastern Conference, but it's still too soon to give up. The team at least has to wait for Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball to return to the lineup, and the Hornets still have the option to sign Miles Bridges. Furthermore, even without their frontcourt leaders, Charlotte's play has some positive aspects. Steve Clifford's men are trying hard and are among the leaders in terms of the distance the team runs per game. The Hornets are one of the best defenses at the arc, and Dennis Smith Jr. has a big role to play here. The club has emerged good role players Nick Richards and Jalen McDaniels, so Charlotte's optimal lineup will at least be interesting to watch.

Steve Clifford's team lost at home to Washington, 100-108, in their last regular-season game. The Hornets did not allow their opponent to turn around at the arc, but they made only 5 of their 32 three-point attempts. Oubre and Rozier failed to shoot any three-pointers, although they more or less made up for their missed shots under the basket. Charlotte scored 70 of their 100 points from the paint, and P.J. Washington, Jalen McDaniels, James Bouknight and Nick Richards were also quite effective under the basket.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers have a difficult personnel situation of late, with Damian Lillard missing a week and Anfernee Simons missing a couple of games. Both are back in action and should play against Charlotte, and even with those losses, Portland has won three of its previous five games. In fact, almost the best player on the team in this stretch was Jerami Grant, who averaged 21 points and more than once decided the outcome of the game in the closing minutes. Now the team shares 2nd place in the West with Phoenix and Denver, just behind the leading Utah Jazz.

The day before Chauncey Billups' team defeated Miami on the road, 110-107. Portland's offense struggled on the court as Lillard missed field goals and shot just 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. Jusuf Nurkic had very little on his shots but Jerami Grant made 9 of 15 field-goal attempts and was 2nd best behind Simons. The Blazers didn't allow much in the paint, which made up for Nurkic's lack of visibility on the offensive end. The ending was very tight, with Josh Hart's long-range shot in the final seconds deciding everything.

Expert Betting Tips

Portland is clearly a playoff contender, and the Blazers would not be lost in the postseason. Chauncey Billups' squad is very good on defense and has a lot of defensive players on the roster. Lillard may not be at his best after his injury, Simons is unstable so far this season. Defense has been Charlotte's biggest asset in the absence of Hayward and Ball but the scoring has been a problem. The visitors can put on a solid offensive performance, but don't expect that from the home team. Our prediction for the upcoming game is as follows:

• H2 (-4.5) for 1.90;
• TU (220.5) for 1.83;
• W2 by 21+ Points for 7.50.

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