Free NBA Pick: Hornets vs. Pacers NBA Odds
Looking for Charlotte Hornets vs. Indiana Pacers free NBA picks & NBA Odds? NBA betting sees the Hornets taking on the Pacers on Wednesday, December 29th at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Hornets Pacers matchup.
2021 NBA Handicapping
(17-17) Charlotte Hornets vs. Indiana Pacers (14-20)
Date: Wednesday, December 29th
Time: 7:00 PM (ET)
Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana
NBA Moneyline Odds: Hornets +127 | Pacers -136 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Pacers -2.5
NBA Betting Total: 227.5
Wednesday, December 29th Charlotte Hornets meet the Indiana Pacers for the third time this season. The Hornets won both previous matches on October 20th (123-122) and November 19th (121-118). They’ll play once more at Indiana on January 26th.
Indiana last played Sunday losing 105-113 to the Bulls while the Hornets played Monday in a 123-99 smackdown of the Rockets.
Also in a rarity, neither club has any players currently out due to health and safety protocols.
The Pacers hold the all-time record between the clubs with 70 wins in 119 meetings. Last season, the teams played three times with the Hornets taking two of the three contests.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets bring an uptempo offense to the court with star LaMelo Ball making passing infectious. That’s resulted in Charlotte averaging 26.8 assists per match (ranked third) with their floor spacing and above averaging shooting hitting 37.9 percent from the perimeter.
Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball each score 19.7 points per game while Ball also leads his squad with 7.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.9 steals per match.
While the Hornets’ offense (ranked second) is robust their defense is equally lacking(ranked 30th). Charlotte tries to lure teams into track meets and the opponents who won’t play ball get met with ample zone coverage. Their biggest issue is rim protection and rebounding.
Teams can take it to Charlotte by grabbing boards and getting out in transition and also via second chance scoring from offensive rebounds. The Hornets rank 27th on the defensive glass and 24th in total rebounding.
PJ Washington, Miles Bridges, and Scottie Lewis are all in NBA health and safety protocols and all listed as questionable for Wednesday’s match.
Indiana Pacers
Given the size of the Pacers frontcourt, it’s somewhat surprising they only rank 15th on the glass. It should be one of their biggest strengths but therein lies the neverending debate about playing Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis together.
Malcolm Brogdon leads scoring and assists for Indiana with 19.0 points and 6.1 assists per game, Sabonis tops the rebounding category with 11.7 per game. Turner tops the blocks category with 2.8 per game while
Oshae Brissett possesses the most efficient perimeter shot (37.3% on 2.2 attempts per game) but as a team, Indiana struggles shooting the long ball which was one of the Pacers’ greatest strengths in recent seasons.
Four Pacers are on the injury report but none in protocols. Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) and Jeremy Lamb (wrist) are questionable for Sunday while TJ McConnell (wrist) and TJ Warren (foot) are out indefinitely.
NBA Betting Trends:
- The teams are 5-5 in their last 10 head to head contests
- The teams are 5-5 ATS in the last 10 head to head meetings
- Over Under is 6-4 in the team’s last 10 head to head matchups
- The Hornets are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games.
- The Pacers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of Charlotte’s last 15 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of Indiana’s last 15 games.
Free Charlotte Hornets vs. Indiana Pacers NBA Prediction
Both clubs have been hovering around .500 in their recent play with the Pacers 5-4 in their last nine matches and the Hornets 4-4 in their last eight. The variance between home and away for Indiana is stark with a home record of 11-7 and a road record of 3-13.
Injuries, protocols, and timing could be a factor but it’s notable the team improved significantly once rumors of several members of the core being on the block surfaced.
Ironically, the Hornets should be the most aggressive club trying to trade for either of the Pacers’ big men. Turner would fit their rim protection needs and upgrade their defense.
And while Sabonis isn’t as stealth defensively and doesn’t fit every team’s offensive scheme Charlotte has plenty of 3-point shooting so he’d work as well. Both men know this and given how lackluster the season has been so far for Indy this match could serve as an audition.
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