Raptors vs Hornets Prediction

Charlotte Hornets (6-13) vs Toronto Raptors (9-12)

Game Info: Friday, December 8, 2023 at 7:00 pm (Spectrum Center)

Betting Odds: Charlotte Hornets +4.5 -- Over/Under: 220.5

The Toronto Raptors and the Charlotte Hornets duke it out at the Spectrum Center on Friday night. Here’s a Raptors vs Hornets Prediction.

Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors have been in a rut as they've lost four of their last five games overall and they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after getting beaten by the Heat in a 112-103 loss on Wednesday. Pascal Siakam led the team with 30 points and six assists on nine of 13 shooting, OG Anunoby added 23 points with eight rebounds and six assists while Scottie Barnes tallied 12 points with 11 rebounds and five assists. As a team, the Raptors shot 43 percent from the field and 14 of 37 from the 3-point line as they poured in 34 points in the second quarter to take the narrow lead into halftime, before they went ice-cold and scored just 37 points in the second half to fall short in the end. Dennis Schroder had a rough night as he finished with just nine points on four of 18 shooting.

Toronto Raptors Player Facts

• Jakob Poeltl ranks 1st amongst qualified players for FG% (72.6%) this season.
• Dennis Schroder ranks 11th amongst qualified players for assists per game (6.9) this season.

Charlotte Hornets

Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets have been in a slump as they've lost eight of their last 11 games overall and they will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting beaten by the Bulls in a 111-100 road loss on Wednesday. Gordon Hayward led the team with 27 points on 10 of 18 shooting, Terry Rozier added 25 points with seven assists while Miles Bridges chipped in with 16 points. As a team, the Hornets shot 43 percent from the field and 10 of 37 from the 3-point line as they stuck with the Bulls in the first half, before they got outscored by 35-20 in the third quarter to fall behind by 22 points.

Charlotte Hornets Player Facts

• Brandon Miller ranks 2nd amongst qualified rookies for points per game (14.2) this season.
• Gordon Hayward ranks 14th in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for steals per game (1.3) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Hornets have missed the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons - longest active streak in the NBA
• The Hornets rank 30th in the league for Q4 opponent points per game this season (30.8).
• The Raptors rank 29th in the league for free throw percentage this season (73.4%).
• The Raptors rank 28th in the league for three-point percentage this season (33.9%).

Raptors vs Hornets Prediction

The Raptors have been playing well below their best lately, but they have a relatively healthy squad compared to the struggling Hornets who is still missing their best player. It's hard to split these two underperforming teams at the moment, but the Raptors are in slightly better shape and they have the size advantage in this matchup, so I think they are long overdue for a win and cover after a couple of poor losses.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.