There isn’t a team in the NBA hotter than the Brooklyn Nets right now, as the team’s won 10 straight games heading into a matchup with the Charlotte Hornets on New Year’s Eve.
Charlotte is just 10-26 on the season, struggling mightily due to injuries to LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward earlier this season. The Hornets won’t have one of their better wings, Kelly Oubre, for this matchup.
Kevin Durant has been on another level this season, shooting the ball at an insanely high clip while averaging 29.9 points per game.
.@KDTrey5 is shooting a CAREER-HIGH 56% from the field this season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qxgauGRlXJ
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 30, 2022
The Nets have the same record as the Milwaukee Bucks entering this game, and a win would put them in the No. 2 spot in the East behind the Boston Celtics.
Charlotte has been brutal against other Eastern Conference teams this season, going just 4-17 straight up. Do the Nets have an 11th straight win in them?
Here’s a look at the latest odds:
Nets vs. Hornets odds, spread and total
Nets vs. Hornets prediction and pick
As good as the Nets have been as of late, they still haven’t been a great team against the spread this season.
Brooklyn comes into this game 17-17-1 against the spread and just 4-5 ATS as a road favorite.
Still, I’m not going to simply look at these trends and go the other way. Brooklyn is the bet to make in this matchup for several reasons.
It starts with the Nets recent play on the offensive end, climbing all the way to fifth in the NBA in offensive rating.
The Hornets have been an uptempo team over the last few seasons, but their offense has taken a major step back, ranking dead last in the NBA.
That, coupled with the team’s struggles on defense (27th in defensive rating), make Charlotte an extremely tough bet to justify no matter the spread.
The Hornets are just 4-7 against the spread as home dogs this season, and even though their loss to the Nets on the road was by just six points, I think they’ll struggle to keep this game close with Brooklyn firing on all cylinders right now.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.