LaMelo Ball Charlotte Hornets
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The Charlotte Hornets will take on the New Orleans Pelicans at 8 p.m. ET Friday at Smoothie King Center. New Orleans is 27-39 overall and 15-18 at home, while the Hornets are 32-35 overall and 16-18 on the road. Charlotte has been struggling of late, losing 13 of its last 17 games and covering the spread in just two of its last six games.

However, the Hornets have been solid ATS on the road, going 10-3-1 against the number in their last 14 away from home. Meanwhile, the Pelicans will be without Brandon Ingram (hamstring) and CJ McCollum (quarantine). Charlotte is favored by three points in the latest Pelicans vs. Hornets odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 226.5. Before entering any Hornets vs. Pelicans 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 three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 74-47 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning almost $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Pelicans vs. Hornets. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Hornets vs. Pelicans:

  • Pelicans vs. Hornets spread: Pelicans +3
  • Pelicans vs. Hornets over-under: 226.5 points

What you need to know about the Pelicans

The Pelicans were within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Wednesday as they fell 108-102 to the Orlando Magic. A silver lining for New Orleans was the play of center Jonas Valanciunas, who posted a double-double on 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Without Ingram, McCollum and Zion Williamson (foot), Valanciunas will be heavily featured offensively. The veteran center is averaging 17.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game this season and is shooting 53.6 percent from the floor. New Orleans has now lost three in a row after winning four straight coming out of the NBA All-Star break.

What you need to know about the Hornets

Meanwhile, Charlotte lost to the Boston Celtics at home by a decisive 115-101 margin. The top scorers for Charlotte were power forward Miles Bridges (17 points), power forward P.J. Washington (17 points), and point guard LaMelo Ball (15 points). The Hornets shot just 42.9 percent from the floor and went 8-for-32 from the 3-point line in the loss.

Over their last two losses, the Hornets are shooting just 28.8 percent from beyond the arc but the team ranks 10th in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage (35.6). They'll need to find their stroke from deep if they're going to take advantage of a shorthanded Pelicans roster and keep up in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

How to make Hornets vs. Pelicans picks

The model has simulated Pelicans 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 where one side has all of the value. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Pelicans vs. Hornets? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to find out, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks.