The Indiana Pacers (14-20) host the Charlotte Hornets (18-17) Wednesday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off. Below, we look at the Hornets vs. Pacers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Charlotte has won back-to-back games over the Denver Nuggets 115-107 Thursday and the Houston Rockets 123-99 Monday.
Over the past two weeks, the Hornets are 3-3 straight-up (SU), 4-2 ATS and 3-3 O/U with the 18th-ranked adjusted net rating (plus-0.5 points per 100 possessions), according to CleaningTheGlass.com (CTG).
Indiana has alternated between winning and losing its past five games with the latest being a 113-105 loss at the Chicago Bulls Sunday.
The Pacers are 2-3 SU, 1-4 ATS and 3-2 O/U in the last 14 days with the 22nd-ranked adjusted net rating (minus-6.1 points per 100 possessions), per CTG.
The Hornets have won and covered their first two games this season against the Pacers and the Over has cashed in three straight Hornets-Pacers meetings.
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Hornets at Pacers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:10 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Hornets +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Pacers -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Hornets +3.5 (-112) | Pacers -3.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 228.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Hornets at Pacers key injuries
Hornets
- PF P.J. Washington (health and safety protocols) out
- SF Miles Bridges (health and safety protocols) out
Pacers
- PG Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) questionable
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Hornets at Pacers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Pacers 120, Hornets 110
Money line
Slight “LEAN” to the PACERS (-155) only because I’m confident enough in Indiana to lay the points instead of spending exorbitantly for the money line.
However, the Pacers have outscored the Hornets in five of the eight quarters they’ve played this season. Plus Indiana held an edge in three of the “four factors” in its second game with Charlotte and split the “four factors” in the first.
Furthermore, the Pacers actually have a higher adjusted net rating than the Hornets; and Indiana has the highest win differential at -4.5 (CTG), which essentially states that the Pacers should have 4.5 additional wins.
I like the PACERS (-155) to prevent getting swept this season by a Hornets (+125) team that is not better than them.
Against the spread
BET 1 unit on the PACERS -3.5 (-108) as my favorite bet in this game because they play much better at home than on the road.
For instance, Indiana is 11-7 SU at home with the eighth-best adjusted net rating at plus-6.1 points per 100 possessions and the eighth-best ATS margin (CTG).
On the other hand, the Hornets struggle on the road: Charlotte is 9-13 SU in away games with the 19th-ranked adjusted net rating at minus-3.0 points per 100 possessions and the 19th-ranked ATS margin (CTG).
Also, Indiana is a much better rebounding team than Charlotte. In fact, the Pacers have a plus-2.8 rebound-per-game margin while the Hornets have a minus-4.7 rebound-per-game margin.
GIMME the PACERS -3.5 (-108).
Over/Under
Slight “LEAN” to the OVER 228.5 (-110) since Indiana has several Under-friendly trends, Charlotte has played to the Over at the highest rate in the NBA, the past three Hornets-Pacers games have gone Over the total and there’s been a sharp line move towards the Over.
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