Indiana Pacers (32-39) vs. Charlotte Hornets (22-50)
March 20, 2023 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Charlotte Hornets +2; Over/Under: +232
(Get latest betting odds)
The Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets meet Monday in NBA action at the Spectrum Center. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Indiana Pacers are averaging 115.9 points on 46.6 percent shooting and allowing 118.3 points on 48.1 percent shooting. Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 20.8 points and 3.7 rebounds, while Myles Turner is averaging 17.9 points and 7.6 rebounds. Buddy Hield is the third double-digit scorer and Bennedict Mathurin is grabbing 4 rebounds. The Indiana Pacers are shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc and 79.2 percent from the free throw line. The Indiana Pacers are allowing 37.3 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 41.5 rebounds per game.
The Charlotte Hornets are averaging 111.2 points on 45.5 percent shooting and allowing 117.5 points on 47.7 percent shooting. Terry Rozier is averaging 21.3 points and 4.2 rebounds, while Kelly Oubre Jr. is averaging 20.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. PJ Washington is the third double-digit scorer and Gordon Hayward is grabbing 4.3 rebounds. The Charlotte Hornets are shooting 32.7 percent from beyond the arc and 74.8 percent from the free throw line. The Charlotte Hornets are allowing 35.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44.7 rebounds per game.
The Pacers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall. The Hornets are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 2 days rest and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games. The over is 6-1 in Pacers last 7 overall. The under is 16-5 in Hornets last 21 overall. The Pacers are 4-12 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Charlotte and 1-7 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
The Indiana Pacers are the better team, no matter how you slice it, and they need to take advantage of games like this if they’re going to sneak into the playoff conversation. The Charlotte Hornets have been a mess all year, and they’re losing their last 5 games by an average of 11.8 points. No excuses for the Pacers. I’ll lay the bucket.