The New York Knicks (10-6) and Charlotte Hornets (4-13) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. EST from Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game will broadcast live on FDSSE.
The Knicks are 6.5-point favorites over the Hornets on the spread (Knicks -6.5), with the over/under set at 240.5 total points. New York is a -260 to win outright on the moneyline, while Charlotte is +220 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Knicks vs. Hornets predictions and NBA picks for Wednesday, November 26.
My Knicks vs Hornets Prediction
- Knicks vs Hornets pick: Jalen Brunson Over 28.5 Points (-122)
My Knicks vs Hornets best bet is on Jalen Brunson to go over his point total, with the best price currently available at DraftKings. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Knicks vs Hornets Odds
| Knicks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 240.5 -112o / -108u | -260 |
| Hornets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 240.5 -112o / -108u | +220 |
Knicks vs Hornets NBA Preview
We talked about this extensively on Buckets last night because I host a Knicks show and can't quit the Hornets.
This is the fourth time this season that Charlotte has started a game with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Miles Bridges all healthy.
In those other three, they're 1-2, but really should've finished off Philly in that game two 125-121 loss, in which Miller injured his shoulder and missed a few weeks afterward.
The Knicks are mostly healthy, too. And they have an opportunity here to improve their NBA Cup fortunes while continuing to try and get right on the road, where they're 2-5 straight up and an NBA-worst 1-6 against the spread.
The Knicks are the better team, but they haven't always played to their talent level this season, and the Hornets have shown few flashes due to injuries yet again to their top two guys, but also, the rookie of the year might be on their roster, not Philly's or Dallas.'
In the loaded Group C, which also includes Miami, Milwaukee and Chicago, Charlotte is the only winless team and likely won't be moving up even with a victory, but would definitely be eliminated with a loss. They're 0-2 and -31. The Knicks are 1-1 and -2.
Their standing will greatly depend on what happens with Miami (2-1, +47) and Milwaukee (2-0, +29) tonight.
The Knicks already beat Miami in the NBA Cup, and they'll face Milwaukee on Friday.
Charlotte will see Chicago at home on Friday, making 2-2 a possibility if they pull off the upset tonight.
Injury-wise, Charlotte still has not Grant Williams or Josh Green. The Knicks are without OG Anunoby and Landry Shamet.
Knicks vs Hornets Prediction, Betting Analysis
Two plays I like in this one.
Jalen Brunson over 28.5 points is the first. As said on Buckets, it's kind of a play on Karl-Anthony Towns' inconsistencies.
He had 22 games scoring 30 or more last season and followed up with another 30 just four times, dropping off significantly on occasion.
This season, he followed up 33 with 15 and 39 with 22. Granted — those were against Minnesota and Miami — but Brunson is steadier night to night. He's over this in 3 of 5 in general, and against Charlotte specifically.
Defensively, the Hornets are one of the league's worst overall defenses, but especially on the perimeter.
Brunson will see some Knueppel, probably some Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate when attacking switches.
I'd expect Sion James to play a solid minutes chunk because of his perimeter defensive ability — even though it's been tough sledding as a rookie.
But he's been trusted with guarding other scoring-minded perimeter players, and he'll probably need to see some Brunson tonight because … well, roster construction.
That said, I'll also play James to hit a three. It's heavily juiced at -150, but he should do it. The Knicks allow the fourth most threes per 100 possessions (39.7).
James is first in the Hornets (and 21st in the NBA) at spot-up points per possession (1.11) and 14th in spot-up frequency at 0.447.
More to the point, he has hit a three in 13-of-17 games this year, and even in the first two games of the season, he logged 16 and 19 minutes on Hornets teams with their (for now) core four together.
In the third outing with all four, against the Clippers on Saturday, he logged 21 minutes. We're hoping for 20, and at least 2-3 attempts.
If you're interested, he's +310 on Bet365 to hit at least two threes, which he has done seven times, four of them coming off the bench for 19, 20, 23 and 27 minutes.
Knicks vs Hornets Best Bets
- Jalen Brunson Over 28.5 Points
- Sion James Over 0.5 3-Pointers Made
Spread
I'm not betting either side of the spread in this game.
Moneyline
No play on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm backing Jalen Brunson to go over his points total.
