Free NBA Pick: Hornets vs. Blazers NBA Odds
Looking for Charlotte Hornets vs. Portland Trail Blazers free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Hornets taking on the Blazers on Friday, December 17th, 2021 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. 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 Blazers matchup.
2021 NBA Handicapping
(16-14) Charlotte Hornets vs. Portland Trail Blazers (11-18)
Date: Friday, December 17th
Time: 10:00 PM EST
Venue: Bankers Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
NBA Moneyline Odds: Hornets +100 | Blazers -118 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Blazers -2
NBA Betting Total: 225.5
Friday, December 17th finds the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers tipping off for the second and final time this season. Charlotte won the initial meeting (125-113) on October 31st
Both clubs last played on Wednesday with the Blazers finishing a back-to-back set with a 103-113 loss to the Grizzlies and the Hornets beating the Spurs 131-115.
The Blazers hold the all-time record between the clubs with 44 wins in 62 meetings. Last season, the teams played twice with each club winning on their home court
Charlotte Hornets
Five players were affected by health and safety protocols for the Hornets who got back Mason Plumlee and Jalen McDaniels Wednesday and hope to have LaMelo Ball back for this match.
With the team mired by these absences they still managed to stay above .500 and register a 3-3 record while LaMelo has been out.
The one player who has picked up the Hornets and doesn’t get the praise he likely should (just ask Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown if they’d like to have him back) is Gordon Hayward.
His leadership during this stretch has been incredible averaging 23 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.8 assists through the last six games shooting 39.4 percent from the perimeter.
In the win versus the Spurs, he punctuated his leadership scoring 41 points on 15 of 19 from the field and 5 of 6 from deep along with five rebounds, and three assists.
McDaniels (15 points, 10 rebounds) registered a double-double Cody Martin (21 points, eight rebounds) flirted with a dub-dub. Miles Bridges (19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists), and PJ Washington (12 points, nine rebounds, seven assists) flirted with triple-doubles.
Ish Smith (COVID) was upgraded to probable while LaMelo Ball (COVID) is questionable.
Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard is back but continues to struggle with his shot. On Wednesday playing in a back-to-back set, he shot 6 of 21 from the field although his perimeter shot was more accurate (5 of 11). He finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block.
Jusuf Nurkic registered a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Norman Powell had a solid game with 25 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks. Anfernee Simons was the top reserve with 22 points.
Powell was a team-high plus +15 while Simons was a team-low minus -29 in what was the Blazers’ seventh consecutive loss and 10th of their last 11. ‘
Now that the calendar has passed December 15th keep an eye on Portland as over 100 players who were signed this offseason are now eligible to be traded and presumably Portland will be a team invested in making deals.
Cody Zeller (quad), Tony Snell (personal), and Dennis Smith Jr. (knee) are questionable for Friday. CJ McCollum (lungs) is out indefinitely.
NBA Betting Trends:
- The Hornets are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games.
- The Blazers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Charlotte’s last 10 games.
- The Blazers are 0-7 SU in their last 7 games.
Free Charlotte Hornets vs. Portland Trail Blazers NBA Prediction:
Portland began the year winning 10 of their initial 11 home games but have lost six in a row at home and haven’t won a game in December.
Conversely, Charlotte began the season .500 on the road (6-6) with their last Western trip accounting for four of those losses. This match is the third of a six-game Western trip where Charlotte is 1-1 through the initial two games.
Although the Hornets haven’t played as well on the road (8-10), with players returning it feels like they could go on a run and climb up the East’s ladder.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Hornets +2
If you’re looking for more NBA picks like this Charlotte Hornets vs. Portland Trail Blazers matchup we’ll be providing 4* free NBA predictions on the blog during the entire NBA season, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free NBA predictions!
Register here for a FREE NBA Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!