Knicks vs Hornets Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight - NBA

It’s a matchup of teams each playing the second Game of a back-to-back, as the New York Knicks battle the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night.

New York is a 6.5-point favorite in the NBA odds, after laying waste to the Washington Wizards 120-99, giving them wins in five of their last six.

Charlotte, meanwhile, just took its worst beating of the year last time out against Milwaukee, 130-99. The Hornets have lost three straight and five of their last six.

Let’s size up Knicks vs. Hornets in my NBA picks and predictions for November 18.

Knicks vs Hornets odds

Knicks vs Hornets predictions

New York’s recent fun run has been mostly a romp. Save for a loss to the Celtics in that streak, and a two-point win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks have won their other four games by double digits, with three of them by more than 20.

They aren’t doing the heavy scoring lifting — New York ranks a lowly 24th averaging 110 points a game. It’s that vice-like defense that’s creating these runaway wins.

Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks lead the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 104.7 points per Game. No other team in the league is sub-105 points. 

They’re not inside the Top-10 in field goal or 3-point shooting defense, but they are winning the battle of second-chance points, holding teams to an NBA-low 9.9 per game, while delivering 17 points per contest on the other end, a Top-4 mark.

New York also doesn’t shoot itself in the foot, surrendering just 13.9 points off turnovers, the second-best mark in the league, while adding nearly 20 points a night off turnovers it creates. 

Charlotte hemorrhages defensively, surrendering 122.6 points per game, which is the fourth-worst mark in the NBA. The Hornets rank 28th in opponent field goal shooting, as teams shoot an average of 49.6%, which means they turn an average foe into the third-best scoring team in the NBA.

They’re also 28th in 3-point shooting defense, with teams firing at a 39.4% clip, a tenth off the top shooting 3-point mark in basketball, currently shared by the Thunder and Mavericks.

Charlotte has already been on the business end of a New York beating, which came during this streak, a 129-107 throttling in Gotham. That was the highest-scoring output for the Knicks this season. Charlotte, meanwhile, has allowed at least 124 points in a game seven times this year.

New York may not be in the East elite conversation, but they mash the middle and lower-class. All seven of their wins this year have come against teams currently sitting at .500 or less, by an average of 14.9 points.

My best bet: Knicks -6.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Knicks vs Hornets same-game parlay

Let’s delve in a little deeper and dial up the profit potential with this same-game parlay. 

Charlotte is in the midst of a brutal five-game stretch against the upper-end talent in the Eastern Conference. 

It’s averaged just 103.7 points per game in losses to the Knicks, Miami Heat, and most recently the Milwaukee Bucks, who held the Hornets under 100 points for the second time this season. They still have New York and Boston to finish off this slate.

The Knicks defense has surrendered 103 points per game during their hot streak, so the beat should go on.

We finish with Charlotte’s lone bright star LaMelo Ball, who’s been filling it up of late. He went for 37 points, five rebounds, and five assists against the Bucks. It’s the fourth time in six games Ball has cracked the 30-point plateau.

It has, however, come at the expense of his prodigious passing. In the first five games of the season, he broke the 20-point barrier just once, but had at least eight assists in four of those contests.

He’s taken at least 19 shots in each of the last five games — going over 17 attempts just once in this first six games — but his highest assist total is seven in that stretch. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Knicks vs Hornets spread and Over/Under analysis

This line has never dipped below the 6-point mark, with most books now offering New York as 6.5-point favorites. The Knicks have gone 6-3-1 against the spread in their last 10.

Charlotte has alternated spread wins and losses in each of the six contests, failing to cover last Game as eight-point dogs. It’s 5-6-0 ATS on the season.

Only a few books were carrying the total as a wager late Friday night, perhaps holding off on potential injuries or rest days for this second game in two nights. DraftKings is one of the books offering, setting it in at 226.5 points.

The Over has hit in seven of Charlotte’s last 10, while the Knicks have gone Under in seven of their previous 10.

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Knicks vs Hornets betting trend to know

Each of New York’s last five games on the second leg of a back-to-back has gone Under the total, three of those coming this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Knicks vs. Hornets.

Knicks vs Hornets game info

Knicks vs Hornets latest injuries

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