Day: March 20, 2023

Charlotte Hornets VS Indiana Pacers is between two Eastern Conference teams looking toward playoffs, hoping to reach it. 

Indiana takes the road as the Pacers take a trip to face the Charlotte Hornets tonight. They were defeated 141-121 at their home court by the Philadelphia 76ers in their last game, failing to cover the line as 4.5-point underdogs.

The Charlotte Hornets on the other hand, also lost to Philadelphia 121-82 at home in their previous game last Friday night, failing to cover the line as 10.5-point underdogs.

In this regular season, the Pacers have a 72-51 advantage over the Hornets and have won the two games both teams played. This includes a 116-111 home win in their most recent match on 8th January.

MatchPlug in this preview delivers the most accurate NBA Predictions Tonight, picks, and odds for  Hornets VS Pacers. You can also visit our website to get previews for other NBA games too.

Predictions and Betting Preview for Charlotte Hornets VS Indiana Pacers NBA Regular Season Game 

• Venue: Spectrum Center, Charlotte
• When: Monday, March 20th, 2023
• Time: 16:00 GMT
• Teams to play: Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers
• NBA Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.912

Odds by BetMGM and 1XBet.

Betting On The Charlotte Hornets

Regular Season Record: 22-50

• 1XBet Spread: +1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 2.3
• 1XBet Over/Under: Over 234.5
• BetMGM Spread: +2.5
• BetMGM Moneyline: 2.10
• BetMGM Over/Under: Under 234.5

The Charlotte Hornets fumbled their 4th straight match as they were beaten by the 76ers at home last Friday at home. They entered Sunday only 22-50 on the season and dropped to the bottom of the Southeast Division, 16 games behind the Miami Heat for the top spot.

Charlotte was 14th in the Eastern Conference standings and has been eliminated from contesting for the playoffs. Against the 76ers, they were down two after the opening quarter and within one halfway through the second before Philadelphia extended to a 12-point halftime advantage.

The Hornets forfeited a 16-2 run to begin the second half and turn the game into a rout. They were held to 33.7% shooting from the field, including a meagre five of 35 from three-point range, and were crushed 62-35 on the boards in the game. Terry Rozier paced them with 14 points in the loss.

This season, they are 27th in the league in scoring offence with 111.2 points per game. Charlotte places 8th in the NBA in rebounding, as they take 44.7 boards per contest and 18th in assists with 24.9 dimes per contest. The Hornets are 24th in scoring defence with an average of 117.5 points per game this campaign.

Terry Rozier is second on the Hornets with 12.3 points plus 4.2 rebounds and five assists per game this tournament. Gordon Hayward (14.2 points, 4.3 boards, four assists), Kelly Oubre Jr. (20.3 points, 5.3 boards), P.J. Washington (15.2 points) and Dennis Smith Jr. (8.7 points, 4.7 assists) are solid contributors on the offensive end of the court. Nick Richards (7.8 points, 5.9 rebounds), LaMelo Ball (23.3 points, 8.4 assists), Theo Maledon, Cody Martin, James Bouknight and Bryce McGowens are expected to provide rotational depth for Charlotte. 

The Hornets rank 28th in threes per game with 10.6 per contest and 30th in three-point field goal percentage by shooting 32.7% from beyond the arc.

Martin played only 7 games this season: because he had knee surgery in November and the last time he played was on January 14th: he is still out presently. Ball had an ankle injury on February 27th while playing against the Detroit Pistons and is said to be done for the year. Bouknight also had an ankle injury played only one game since January 4th and missed the last 22 games. Williams hurt his thumb and missed four games since getting injured against Detroit.

Betting On The Indiana Pacers

Regular Season Record: 32-39

• 1XBet Spread: -1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 1.912
• 1XBet Over/Under: Under 234.5
• BetMGM Spread: -2.5
• BetMGM Moneyline: 1.75
• BetMGM Over/Under: Over 234.5

The Indiana Pacers lost again in three games after they were defeated at home by the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. They became 4th in the Central Division, 18.5 games behind the Bucks for top sport. 

Indiana was 11th in Eastern Conference standings, 18.5 games behind Milwaukee for the top spot, 7.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets for the final playoff spot and 1.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

When playing against the 76ers, the Pacers led 12-4 four minutes into the match, before they have outscored 30-12 the rest of the game by 10 after the opening quarter. They trailed by 11 at the half and couldn’t get closer than five in the second half before Philadelphia broke away. 

Indiana scored 51.7% from the field, including 12 of 31 from a three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 41-30, while allowing the 76ers to trash them to 61.4% shooting in the contest. The Pacers were led by Aaron Nesmith with 25 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.

This year, the Pacers are 11th in the league in scoring offence with 115.9 points per game for the season. They are 24th in rebounding with an average of 41.5 boards a night, and 6th in assists by giving 26.8 dimes per contest. Indiana ranks 28th in scoring defence allowing an average of 118.3 points per game yearly. 

They are led by Tyrese Haliburton in scoring with 20.8 points including 10.4 assists per game. Benedict Mathurin (16.6) points, Buddy Hield (17.1 points five rebounds, 2.7 assists), Myles Turner (17.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks), Jalen Smith (9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds) and Chris Duarte are strong scoring options for this season. Aaron Nesmith (10.1 points, 3.8 boards), Isaiah Jackson, Andrew Nembhard, George Hill, Jordan Nwora, James Johnson, T.J. McConnell and Oshae Brissett are other players on standby for Indiana. 

The Pacers rank 24th in the NBA in field goal percentage as they shoot from the floor as a team. They are 5th in threes per game, splashing 13.9 triples per contest and the team is 13th by shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc on the year.

Injured players for Indiana are – Duarte who missed the last two games due to an ankle injury, and Haliburton injured his knee and missed the last four matches, only returning March 9th against the Houston Rockets. Mathurin had an ankle injury, he too played last on March 9 against the Rockets, sitting out the last four games: there is no update about his return.

MatchPlug Prediction 

Both the Hornets and Pacers have had a challenging season, with Indiana unravelling in January and the majority of February before finding their footing a bit late. 

Indiana is saddled with player injuries lately, but they still found themselves within a close distance of securing a spot in the play-in tournament, as the regular season hits its final month.

Charlotte is one of the four teams that were eliminated from competing for the playoffs, as they had challenges winning games throughout the season. They have their work cut out for them, as they struggle with getting their motivation up.

Indiana has enough motivation to play tonight’s game and this might be what they need to crush the failing Hornets once and for all this season in Charlotte Hornets VS Indiana Pacers.