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The Brooklyn Nets will look to avoid the home upset when they host the feisty Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night. Brooklyn has won eight of 10 to move into a tie for first place with Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte has gone 6-4 over its last 10 and sits in fourth place in the crowded east standings. Let’s take a closer at both teams so you can bet against their NBA odds.

NBA Predictions – Brooklyn Looks To Avoid Upset At Home Against Feisty Charlotte

Charlotte (24-22) at Brooklyn (32-15)

When: Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
TV: YES
Radio: WFAN, WFNZ 610 AM/102.5 FM

Charlotte Living Large Even Without Ball

The Hornets have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the entire NBA this season, thanks in large part to their offseason additions that saw them acquire veteran forward Gordon Hayward and draft rookie point guard LaMelo Ball.

Even with Ball out of the lineup for just over a week now, the Hornets are living large. Charlotte has won four of five with Ball out for the season and comes into this matchup fresh off a 114-104 win over lowly Washington on Tuesday night. Terry Rozier scored a team-high 27 points and Hayward added 26 points in the win.

“We did it with our defense,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “I think we disrupted them fairly well on the defensive end.”

The Hornets average 111.7 points per game (20th) on 46.2% shooting from the field (18th) and 38.4% from beyond the arc (6th). Defensively, Charlotte allows 112.1 points per game (17th) on 46.8% shooting from the field (20th) and 36.2% from three-point distance (8th).

Nets Still Hot, Add More Depth To Roster

Brooklyn has won two straight and eight of 10 to remain red-hot. The Nets got past awful Minnesota 112-107 on Monday night as James Harden recorded a triple-double of 38 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. Kyrie Irving added 27 points in his return after missing the three-game road trip last week for family reasons.

“He’s our leader and he’s meant a lot to us. Another triple-double and you can’t take it for granted, but you tend to, a little bit, because he’s able to pull these out of a hat almost every night,” Nets coach Steve Nash said.

The Nets average a league-leading 119.1 points per game on 49.5% shooting from the field (1st) and 39.2% from beyond the arc (4th). Defensively, Brooklyn allows a generous 114.9 points per game (26th) on 46.3% shooting from the field (12th) and 36.5% from three-point distance (14th).

Expert Analysis and Prediction

I love what I’ve seen out of Charlotte this season and I expect the Hornets to put up a real fight in this affair. In the end though, I’m going with Brooklyn to scratch out the hard-fought win because they are playing at home in this one and having Kyrie Irving back on the floor with James Harden.

When it comes to the spread for this intriguing clash, the Hornets have gone a perfect 5-0 ATS over their last five games and 7-3 ATS over their last 10. Brooklyn has failed to cover the chalk in three straight while going 1-5 ATS over its last six games and 3-7 ATS over its last 10. Brooklyn wins, but Charlotte covers the spread with another fine effort in what has been a season full of them already.

Pick: Nets 115 Hornets 111

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