Charlotte Hornets vs Portland Trail Blazers 03/01/2021 NBA Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Charlotte Hornets will visit the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on Monday night.

Charlotte is currently on a six-game road trip and this is the fifth game of that excursion. The Hornets defeated the Sacramento Kings on Sunday behind a last-second three-point play by Malik Monk. Meanwhile, the Blazers have dropped their last four games after a six-game losing streak.

Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are 16-17 on the season and they are currently in second place in the Southeast Division, just half-a-game behind the Miami Heat. Despite having a sub .500 record, the Hornets are still in playoff position, holding the final spot in the Eastern Conference. They have alternated wins and losses in their last eight games.

Charlotte is coming off a last-second 127-126 win over the Sacramento Kings. P.J. Washington scored a career-high 42 points while Monk, who made the game-winning play, finished with 21 points. LaMelo Ball added 24 points and a career-best 12 assists as he continues to impress. Leading scorer Gordon Hayward sat out the game to rest a hand injury.

Charlotte ranks 18th in the league in scoring at 111.6 points per game. They have the league’s 10th worst scoring defense at 112.8 points per game allowed. The Hornets are ranked 16th in rebounding at 44.1 boards grabbed per contest and are tied for 3rd in passing at 26.9 assists per game.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are 18-14 on the season and they are in second place in the Northwest Division but a far 8 games behind the league-leading Utah Jazz. The Blazers have dropped to 6th in the Western Conference team standings as a result of their current four-game losing streak. Despite that, they are only four games behind the 3rd seeded Clippers so there are still enough games to move up.

In their last game, the Blazers scored only 93 points against the L.A. Lakers. Damian Lillard had a big game with 35 points but he was limited to only 11 in the second half. Gary Trent Jr. added 19 points but he shot just 2-11 from the three-point range. Carmelo Anthony also struggled with only four points while Enes Kanter had a double-double with 11 points and 17 rebounds.

Portland is ranked 10th in the league in scoring at 114.2 points per game this season. They have the NBA’s 6th worst scoring defense at 115.2 points per game allowed and are 11th off the glass with 44.5 boards grabbed per contest. The Blazers are the worst passing team in the league at only 19.9 dimes per contest.

Who Wins?

The Hornets are 2-3 SU in their last five games played. Charlotte is 6-9 SU in 15 road games played this season. The Blazers are 0-4 SU in their last four games played. Portland is 8-6 SU in 14 home games played this season. Head to head, the Blazers are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played against the Hornets.

Make no mistake, the Blazers are also without starters Jusuf Nurkic and C.J. McCollum here so they will be undermanned. But the Blazers will be playing at home and will be well-rested. This looks like the perfect chance for Portland to end their losing streak. Charlotte has not found consistency in its last 10 games and the Blazers should capitalize behind Lillard and maybe a bounce-back game from Melo who scored just four points against the Lakers.

Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers

Other Bets To Make

Charlotte is 17-14-1 ATS in 32 games played this season. The Hornets are 1-3 ATS in their last four games played on the road, and 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against an opponent with a winning home record. They are also 4-1 ATS in their last five games with zero days rest, and 21-10-2 ATS in their last 33 games as the betting underdog. Portland is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Blazers are 3-1 ATS in their last four games played at home, 4-1 ATS in their last five games against an opponent with a losing SU record, and 6-2 in their last eight home games against a team with a losing road record. Head to head, the Blazers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Hornets. Portland is also 10-2 ATS in their last 12 home games against Charlotte.

The Hornets are coming off a win over the Kings in Sacramento and will be playing in the Moda Center the following night for their fifth of a six-game road trip. Whether they like it or not, fatigue will be a factor in this game. The Blazers have dropped four in a row but three of those losses came against Phoenix, Denver, and the Los Angeles Lakers who are among the best teams in the league. I like where the Blazers are at in this game. They are looking to end a losing streak and will be doing so at home against a Charlotte team that’s just 7-9 away from home this season.

Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers

The total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Hornets. The over is 4-0 in Charlotte’s last four road games, 5-1 in their last six games as underdogs, and 9-0 in their last nine games as road underdogs. The over is 17-15 in Portland’s 32 games played this season. The total has gone over in five out of their last seven home games. The over is also 16-5 in their last 21 Monday games. The over is 27-13-1 in Portland’s last 41 home games against an opponent with a losing road record. Head to head, the total has gone under in six out of the last nine meetings between these two teams. The under is also 3-1-1 in the last five meetings in Portland.

Portland is averaging 102.5 points per game during their four-game losing streak, including 106 or fewer points in their last three games played. Charlotte meanwhile is averaging just 111.6 points per game, 18th overall in the league. These teams have played to the under in three out of their last five games in Portland and in six out of their last nine head-to-head meetings overall. I like these teams to go under.

Prediction: Under 235.5

Place Your Bets Now!