The Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs will try to build some momentum when they meet Saturday night at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. The Spurs have lost three straight and are in 12th place in the Western Conference. But they’re close to a top-10 spot that would secure a spot in the postseason play-in tournament. The Hornets (32-33) beat Cleveland 119-98 on Wednesday to snap a run of five losses in six games. They are 10th in the East and trying not to stumble. A Spurs win would tie coach Gregg Popovich with Don Nelson for the most regular-season wins in NBA history at 1,335. The teams faced off in San Antonio on Dec. 15, with the Hornets winning 131-115.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. Charlotte is the four-point favorite in the latest Spurs vs. Hornets odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under for total points is set at 238, down 3.5 points from the opening line. Before making any Hornets vs. Spurs picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
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 19 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 71-44 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning more than $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Spurs vs. Hornets, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Hornets vs. Spurs:
- Spurs vs. Hornets spread: Charlotte -4
- Spurs vs. Hornets over-under: 238 points
- Spurs vs. Hornets money line: Charlotte -175, San Antonio +150
- SAS: DeJounte Murray leads the league with 111 steals (two per game).
- CHA: Miles Bridges has played the most minutes (1,142) in the NBA.
Featured Game | Charlotte Hornets vs. San Antonio Spurs
Why the Hornets can cover
Charlotte has a strong trio of playmakers who can light up the scoreboard and has the top-scoring offense in the league at 114.1 points per game. Miles Bridges (19.9 points), LaMelo Ball (19.6) and Terry Rozier (19.1) are all capable of leading the charge, and all are versatile players. Ball gets a team-high 7.4 assists per game and also chips in 6.9 rebounds, Bridges adds 7.9 boards and all three average at least one steal. The Hornets, who have an extra day of rest and are 7-4-1 ATS with that advantage, are fourth in the NBA in steals (8.7 per game).
The Hornets are 34-28-1 ATS this season and 16-13-1 ATS at home. They are second in the NBA in fast-break points (15.7) and make 13.8 three-pointers per game, which ranks fifth. Ball, Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr. all make at least 2.5 threes per contest. Oubre averages 16.4 points and is one of eight Hornets players scoring in double figures. The Hornets have the firepower to light up the Spurs, who have given up an average of 122 points on their three-game slide. They have allowed at least 114 in eight straight games and give up 112.8 on average (27th in NBA).
Why the Spurs can cover
San Antonio is a similar team to Charlotte, as its defense also has struggled while the offense has thrived. The Spurs are seventh in the league in scoring (112.7 per game), and the defense actually allows almost two fewer per game (112.8-114.5). It also is eighth in the league in both blocked shots (five) and steals. The Spurs are sixth in the NBA in shooting percentage (r46.8) and score the second-most points in the league in the paint (54.4).Both teams grab 45.2 rebounds per game, but Charlotte opponents get 47.9 per contest, second-most in the league.
The Hornets are 1-9 SU and ATS in their last 10 home games, and San Antonio is 13-20 SU but 18-14-1 ATS on the road. Charlotte has won just three of its past 14 games, while the Spurs won four of five before their current slide. Eight players average at least 9 points for San Antonio, led by Dejounte Murray, who scores 20.3 and is third in the league in assists at 9.4. The Spurs lead the league in assists (28.2) and assists-to-turnover ratio (2.227). Jakob Poeltl scores 13.5 points and averages 9.4 rebounds, while Murray chips in 8.4 boards per game.
How to make Spurs vs. Hornets picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, predicting a combined 229 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Hornets vs. Spurs? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.