The Dallas Mavericks (36-37) will try to get back to the .500 mark this season when they host the Charlotte Hornets (23-51) on Friday night. Dallas is coming off back-to-back losses to Memphis and Golden State, falling into a log-jam tie for eighth place in the Western Conference standings. Charlotte has lost five of its last six games, losing to New Orleans in a 115-96 final on Thursday.
Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET from American Airlines Center. Dallas is favored by 14.5 points in the latest Mavericks vs. Hornets odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 227.5. Before entering any Hornets vs. Mavericks picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 23 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 69-36 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,900. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Mavericks vs. Hornets. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Mavs vs. Hornets:
- Mavericks vs. Hornets spread: Mavericks -14.5
- Mavericks vs. Hornets over/under: 227.5 points
- Mavericks vs. Hornets money line: Dallas -1100, Charlotte +700
- Mavericks vs. Hornets picks: See picks here
Why the Mavericks can cover
Dallas star Luka Doncic returned from a five-game absence (thigh) in a narrow loss to Golden State on Wednesday, posting 30 points and 17 assists. Rookie guard Jaden Hardy came off the bench to score 27 points, while center Christian Wood had 19 points and four rebounds as a reserve. Doncic leads Dallas with 32.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game.
Charlotte has lost five of its last six games, getting blown out by New Orleans on Thursday when it finished with just seven available players. The Hornets did not have a player reach the 20-point mark and was outrebounded by 14 without rookie center Mark Williams (thumb). They are also without star point guard LaMelo Ball (ankle), while Kelly Oubre Jr. (shoulder), Terry Rozier (foot) and Dennis Smith Jr. (illness) are all questionable.
Why the Hornets can cover
Dallas has some availability concerns of its own, with Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness) and Kyrie Irving (foot) both listed as questionable. The Mavericks are coming off consecutive losses and have lost five of their last seven games, falling into a four-way tie for eighth place in the Western Conference. They are playing with significantly more pressure than Charlotte on Friday night.
The Mavericks have been outrebounded in their past three games, including a 13-rebound margin in both losses this week. Power forward P.J. Washington led Charlotte with 18 points in Thursday's loss, while center Nick Richards had nine points and 14 rebounds. Dallas has only covered the spread twice in its last seven home games, making the Mavericks a team to avoid on Friday night.
How to make Hornets vs. Mavericks picks
The model has simulated Mavericks vs. Hornets 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Hornets vs. Mavs? And which side of the spread is hitting almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Mavericks vs. Hornets spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
