San Antonio Spurs vs. Charlotte Hornets Prediction, Preview, and Odds
The San Antonio Spurs continue their Eastern Conference swing as they travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Friday night. The two teams are near the bottom of the standings in their respective conferences with the Spurs at 7-33 and the Hornets at 8-30. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST.
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Growing Pains for the Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs head down the East Coast to Charlotte following a blowout loss to the NBA's leading team, the Boston Celtics, in Boston. The Spurs fell to 7-33 with the loss and have lost 8 of their last 10 games as they continue a rebuilding season led by rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama. The rookie scored 10 points in the first quarter on the famed parquet floor and finished the night 10-of-19 shooting with five rebounds in the Spurs' third straight loss. Wembanyama will be sitting out Friday's game as the Spurs continue their careful handling of the rookie as he works through an ankle injury.
“We’re going to lose some more games. We’re not going to win 47 games,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s not important to me, and I’ll make sure it’s not important to them. We all like to win rather than lose. But if they’re not competing at a certain level or executing a certain level. Uh, we’ll be on them just as much as if we were winning. If there’s someone who can’t handle it, they’ll be gone.”
The Spurs come into this game hoping to end a three-game losing streak but without their best player in Wembanyama. They are 25th in the NBA in scoring offense this season. The Spurs are 27th in field goal percentage and 28th in 3-point shooting. The Spurs are 15th in the NBA in 3-point field goals per game this season. Defensively, the Spurs are 26th in scoring defense thus far. They are 23rd in field goal defense and 28th in 3-point defense. On the glass, the Spurs are just 23rd in the NBA in total rebounds per game and they are 24th in turnovers per game.
Key Injuries: Wembanyama is out and PF Zach Collins is questionable.
Not Buzz-Worthy
The Charlotte Hornets' miserable season continues on Friday night as they remain near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Charlotte is just 8-30 on the season and has lost six straight games and nine out of ten heading into this winnable matchup with the Spurs. The Hornets were blown out in New Orleans on Wednesday night, 132-112. LaMelo Ball led the way with 29 points and Terry Rozier added 25 points for the Hornets who have now lost 17 of their last 18 games. Nick Richards chipped in with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds but admitted that losing is difficult.
All that losing, Richards said, “is something we don’t want to think about, because we want to learn from this game — and we’ve got to get better from this game and each loss. We just have to keep going.”
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The Hornets are in desperate need of a win as they welcome the Spurs to town on Friday night and this might be their best chance to do just that. Charlotte comes into this game ranked 28th in scoring offense this season. THey are 28th in field goal percentage and 20th in 3-point percentage. They are also just 27th in 3-point field goals made per game. Defensively, the Hornets are 27th in scoring defense. They are 23rd in field goal defense and last in the league in 3-point defense. The Hornets are also just 28th in total rebounds per game this season. With a rash of injuries, particularly to Ball at point guard, its not surprising that the Hornets are just 19th in turnovers per game.
Key Injuries:
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The Hornets have stumbled and bumbled their way to 16 losses in 17 games but this is a game they are primed to win. The Spurs, already offensively challenged, will be minus their most dynamic offensive weapon in Wembanyama as he rests his ankle on Friday night. In addition, Ball should find much smoother sledding getting to the rim without the rookie protecting the basket. Charlotte is also getting healthier with center Mark Williams back to help them at the rim. The Spurs and Coach Pop are all about development at this point and will sacrifice wins for steady improvement. The Hornets are desperate for a win and will play like a desperate team on Friday night.
Take Charlotte.
Prediction: Charlotte -4.5
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Don't expect a defensive struggle on Friday night between two of the worst defenses in the NBA. Neither team protects the rim well and San Antonio will certainly be lessened in that department without Wembanyama. While both of these offenses struggle, uncontested drives to the rim will be the norm on Friday. The Spurs will try to run to get easy baskets on Friday night and are 7th in the NBA in fastbreak points and also 3rd in the NBA in pace of play.
Take the over.
Prediction: Over 238
Mark has been a sports fanatic since childhood. He is also an avid follower of sports analytics and has used it in his own betting analysis for over two decades. Now we have Mark on our team here at Stat Salt. He holds degrees in marketing, broadcasting, and English and uses this vast array of assets to dissect and analyze game matchups. Mark will provide you with a wide variety of statistics to consider and a strong opinion in each matchup that he covers. Please follow him daily for an up-to-the-minute analysis of all the important games.
