76ers vs. Hornets odds: NBA picks from expert who's 22-10 on Charlotte basketball games

Larry Hartstein has his finger on the pulse of the Hornets and released a play for Sunday

The sizzling 76ers, winners of nine straight, tip off against the Hornets on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Philadelphia has coasted to seven consecutive double-digit wins, but will finish the regular season without MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who will undergo facial surgery soon. Although the Hornets have been eliminated from postseason play, they'll be playing for pride in front of their raucous fans.

Philly opened as a two-point road favorite and now is laying 3.5. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 218.5.

Before picking either side to what will surely be an uptempo contest, you need to read what SportsLine hoops expert Larry Hartstein, who's nailed 22 of his last 32 Hornets picks, has to say. 

On Monday, Hartstein made a confident pick for Nuggets-76ers, noting how the Nuggets, 5.5-point underdogs, were in the midst of a season-long seven-game road trip and would struggle to keep up with fastbreak-oriented Phlly. The result: the Sixers jumped out to a huge lead and coasted to a 123-104 victory, allowing Hartstein to cover with more than a dozen points to spare.

Hartstein, who has a strong analytical background, has now examined every matchup, every player and every trend for Sixers-Hornets and locked in his pick.

Hartstein knows that even without Embiid, Philly has plenty of firepower. It can cover if NBA Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Simmons logs yet another triple-double. He has 11 for the season and in his last game against the Hawks, Simmons notched it in only 26 minutes of court time.

However, as long as the Hornets have Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard healthy and on the court at the same time, they can compete against anybody. Charlotte can cover and even win if Howard dominates the boards. With Embiid out, Howard's big body in the paint should have enough wiggle room for plenty of put-backs. Walker has been on fire lately, averaging 31 points and four assists over his last four games.

So what side of Philadelphia-Charlotte do you need to be all over on Sunday? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong point-spread pick by Hartstein, who's on a stellar 22-10 stretch picking Hornets games, and find out.