NBA Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic Preview and Prediction

Date/Time: 02-14-2019, 19:00 EDT

Spread: Orlando Magic -3.5

Total: +215

In this all-Eastern showdown between two squads sitting in and out of the playoff spots of the conference, the Charlotte Hornets, who want to return to the winning ways, are visiting the streaky Orlando Magic, who are looking to extend their current winning streak and make a push for the 8^th place.

Hornets are 27-29 so far in the league and are sitting on the seventh place of the Eastern Conference. They are 1-3 in their last 4 games and in their latest matchup they got defeated by Indiana on the road, 90-99. Magic are 26-32 so far in the league and are sitting on the tenth place of the Eastern Conference. They are 6-1 in their last 7 games and in their latest matchup they were victorious against New Orleans on the road, 118-88.

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Charlotte are led in scoring by Kemba Walker with 25.2 ppg. He also adds 4.4 rebounds and leads the team in assists made with 5.7 per game, while Jeremy Lamb follows with 15.2 ppg, adding 5.6 rebounds per game. Marvin Williams adds 10.4 ppg and 5.6 rebounds. Orlando are led in scoring by Nikola Vucevic with 20.6 ppg. He also adds 3.8 assists and leads the team in rebounding with 12.1 per game, while Aaron Gordon follows with 15.9 ppg, adding 3.5 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. Evan Fournier adds 15 ppg, 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

This will be the third meeting between those two teams so far this season with Charlotte having won both previous ones by an average of 28.5 points. Orlando are 13-15 at home, while Charlotte are 8-20 on the road. Charlotte have a better offense with 111.5 ppg to Orlando’s 105.4, while Orlando have a better defense, allowing 107.2 ppg to Charlotte’s 111. Both squads have almost identical accuracy both from the field (45.1% to 44.9%) and from behind the arc (35.4% to 35%). Orlando dish more assists (24.68 to 23.3), Hornets commit fewer turnovers (12 to 13) and both squads grab almost the same number of rebounds per game (44.4 to 44.3). Orlando have been hot lately and expect them to win today at home by more than 4 points.

Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic Prediction: Orlando Magic -3.5 (-106)