The Golden State Warriors (11-1) visit the Spectrum Center Sunday to take on the Charlotte Hornets (7-7). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Warriors at Hornets odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Warriors have easily been the best team in basketball. They rank No. 2 in offensive rating and No. 1 in defensive rating.
Led by two-time MVP PG Stephen Curry, who is averaging 28.4 points, 6.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds, the Warriors have lost just one game, an overtime thriller to the Memphis Grizzlies.
As for the Hornets, they recently visited Golden State and were destroyed by a Warriors third-quarter onslaught.
They're led by PG LaMelo Ball and rising star PF Miles Bridges. The Hornets match up well with Golden State and should put up more of a challenge at home than they did in a 114-92 loss at the Warriors Nov. 3.
Warriors at Hornets odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:31 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Warriors -210 (bet $210 to win $100) | Hornets +170 (bet $100 to win $170)
- Against the spread (ATS): Warriors -5.5 (-105) | Hornets +5.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 227.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Prediction
Warriors 112, Hornets 108
Money line
PASS. I don't think Charlotte will come out on top, and getting 5.5 points on the spread is enough for me to look there.
If there is a chance to play the money line, it's on Charlotte at +165. Any regular-season NBA game at worse odds than -200 on a money line, even for an 11-1 team, isn't worth it.
Against the spread
LEAN to the HORNETS +5.5 (-120) as the Warriors spread is getting plenty of juice. Everyone is hopping on the Warriors bandwagon. Pregame.com has 78% of the tickets on Golden State and rightly so.
Given the Hornets' length with Ball and talent with SG "Scary" Terry Rozier, they match up well, one reason they were down just 1 against Golden State at halftime of the Nov. 3 matchup.
The Hornets have the seventh-best offensive rating.
While they may not come out on top, they should be able to hold the Warriors close. Given how good the Dubs have been, I wouldn't put too much on that though. Charlotte is 7-7 against the spread.
Over/Under
BET UNDER 227.5 (-110) as that's just too many points. While the Hornets have a good offensive rating and like to push the pace, they'll be taking on a Warriors defense that's the best in the league.
While both teams are top five in pace, the Hornets get some flak for how well they shoot, just 17th in true shooting percentage.
With Unders hitting at a 61% rate and this one of the higher totals given the pace both teams play at, I'm thinking this will be too many points. The last time these two teams met, the Hornets failed to hit 100 while Golden State hit 114, barely over half of this game's current total.
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Warriors at Hornets key injuries
Warriors
- SG Damion Lee (hip) questionable
- SG Klay Thompson (Achilles) out
- C James Wiseman (knee) out
Hornets
- PF P.J. Washington (elbow) out
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