Free NBA Pick: Pacers vs. Hornets NBA Odds
Looking for Indiana Pacers vs. Charlotte Hornets free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Pacers taking on the Hornets on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Pacers Hornets matchup.
2021 NBA Handicapping
(0-0) Indiana Pacers vs. Charlotte Hornets (0-0)
Date: Wednesday, October 20
Time: 7:00PM EST
Venue: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
NBA Moneyline Odds: Pacers +105 | Hornets -125 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Pacers +2 | Hornets -2
NBA Betting Total: 224.5
Tuesday, October 24 finds the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets tipping off their 2021-22 season.
Both squads will be vying to improve upon last season with young rosters and in the case of the Pacers their third head coach in as many seasons, albeit one who is very familiar with the franchise (Rick Carlisle).
Last season, the squads played three times with Charlotte taking two of the three matches. The Pacers hold the all-time record having bested the Hornets in 70 of their 117 matches.
Indiana Pacers
It was a rough season for the Pacers who dealt with constant injury setbacks and never seemed to mesh with new bench boss Nate Bjorkgren while former coach they fired (Nate McMillan) took the Hawks to the Conference Finals.
In fairness to Bjorkgren, not having TJ Warren and missing Myles Turner, Caris LeVert and Malcolm Brogdon for long stretches didn’t help. Regardless, the Pacers let him go at season end electing to bring back former bench boss Carlisle.
He’ll start the 2021-22 campaign without the services of Warren who is still recovering from his foot injury and LeVert who suffered a stress fracture in his back.
Kevin Pritchard elected to stick with constancy only adding free agent Torrey Craig along with draft prospects Chris Duarte (13th) and Isaiah Jackson (22nd). Aaron Holiday (Wizards) and Doug McDermott (Spurs) exit via trades.
Last season, Indy had the unique position of possessing precisely the same offensive and defensive rating (111.9) meaning for as good as they were at putting the ball in the net they were equally bad at stopping the opposition from scoring.
Charlotte Hornets
In the past 17 seasons, the Hornets reached the postseason three times all resulting in first-round losses. Last year they were on the brink of nabbing a home court seed when rookie LaMelo Ball broke his wrist and Gordon Hayward sprained his foot leading to 21 and 24 games missed respectively.
Charlotte fell to 10th and lost the play-in game to the Pacers sending them back to the lottery for the fifth consecutive year gaining James Bouknight with the 11th overall pick.
Ball won Rookie of the Year and despite their injury woes head coach James Borrego had his Hornets playing with pace and showing signs of becoming a relevant playoff squad.
With the team’s improvement, Mitch Kupchak went to work retaining the assets who fit with Ball and Hayward and looking to bolster the club’s defense and versatility. He traded Devonte’ Graham (Pelicans), waived Caleb Martin, and elected to not re-sign free agents Malik Monk (Lakers), or Cody Zeller (Blazers).
Kai Jones was added via a draft-night deal with Kupchak giving up a future first-round pick to get him. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Ish Smith were signed in free agency while Wes Iwundu and Mason Plumlee (plus rookie JT Thor) were obtained in trades.
NBA Betting Trends:
- Pacers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings between the clubs.
- Pacers are 7-3 in the last 10 head-to-head matches.
- Over Under is 4-6 in teams last 10 head to head matchups
Free Indiana Pacers vs. Charlotte Hornets NBA Prediction:
The Hornets were the NBA League Pass darlings of 2021 with their high octane offense showcasing ball movement and pace. Moving up the ladder will depend on the team’s ability to defend the paint and corner 3-pointers — the two areas they struggled with last season.
Considering Turner swatted a league-best 3.4 blocks per game it’s perplexing the Pacers allowed 53.8 paint points per game – the worst mark in history.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Hornets -2
Given the absence of Warren and LeVert, the Hornets gain the offensive edge.
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