Hornets vs Pelicans

Sure, the Hornets beat the Spurs convincingly, but that's not saying much. Charlotte will struggle to win games this year, especially with LaMelo Ball out of ...

But in the NBA talent reigns supreme and in the end the Pelicans will come out on top because of their talent advantage this evening. It’s hard to see the Hornets pulling this one out because of the depth and size the Pelicans have. This game will be important to see if the Hornets defense has improved since last season. The Pelicans made the Nets look like a lottery team in their first game, there are already murmurs of them being a western conference contender. This game will come down to the frontcourt matchups where PJ Washington, Mason Plumlee, and Nick Richards are going to have to step up in slowing the formidable pair of Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas. For the Hornets to hang around, they're going to need to be red hot from three-point land and I'm not convinced that will happen.

The New Orleans Pelicans will try to keep rolling tonight on the road against the Charlotte Hornets in a game that will be an early test of their focus.

New Orleans also has superior depth and should be able to get another big night out of their bench. According to FanDuel, New Orleans is a 6.5 favorite on the road against Charlotte. Forward Cody Martin is also listed as doubtful for Charlotte. The over/under is 229.5 combined points, way down from last game against the Nets. I like the Pelicans to cover in this one and the under, as the Pels are on the road and I agree that they have a chance to keep Charlotte to a low score. The New Orleans Pelicans dominated the Brooklyn Nets in the opener and hope to do the same against the Charlotte Hornets tonight on the road.

Can Charlotte pick up a statement win at home? Their odds can be found below along with predictions, key matchups, starting lineups, and injuries. New Orleans ...

[Mason Plumlee](https://www.lineups.com/nba/player-stats/mason-plumlee) [PJ Washington](https://www.lineups.com/nba/player-stats/pj-washington) [Gordon Hayward](https://www.lineups.com/nba/player-stats/gordon-hayward) [Terry Rozier](https://www.lineups.com/nba/player-stats/terry-rozier) [Jonas Valanciunas](https://www.lineups.com/nba/player-stats/jonas-valanciunas) [Zion Williamson](https://www.lineups.com/nba/player-stats/zion-williamson) [Brandon Ingram](https://www.lineups.com/nba/player-stats/brandon-ingram) He’s not the player he once was, but Hayward can still produce 18-22 points and 4-5 assists. Overall, the talent gap is far too big to count on the Hornets covering, and their weaknesses unfortunately overlap with New Orleans’ strengths. He managed 25 points on a 50 FG% versus Brooklyn, and that felt like a warm up game. I jumped on Pelicans -5.5 early, and I am thrilled it’s holding at -6. Zion Williamson is back and better than ever, while the Hornets will once again be without the injured LaMelo Ball.