Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte Hornets Betting Analysis | Jan 23/25

Portland Trail Blazers (16-28 SU, 23-21 ATS) vs. Charlotte Hornets (11-29 SU, 21-17 ATS)

When: Friday, January 24th, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: Spectrum Center, NC, Charlotte

TV: KATU

Point Spread: Por +5/Cha -5

Total: 220.5

Money Line: Portland Trail Blazers +163/-194

Notable Injuries

Trail Blazers

• Deandre Ayton (Questionable) Left Knee
• Matisse Thybulle (Out) Ankle
• Donovan Clingan (Out) Ankle

Hornets

• Seth Curry (Probable) Ankle
• Miles Bridges (Questionable) Back
• Grant Williams (Out) Leg
• Cody Martin (Probable) Groin
• LaMelo Ball (Questionable) Wrist
• Tre Mann (Out) Back
• Brandon Miller (Out) Wrist

The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to take on the Charlotte Hornets in a non-conference matchup. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 ET at the Spectrum Center. The Hornets are currently favored by 5 points.

Portland enters the game with a record of 16-28 and is currently on a 3-game win streak. They are 13th in the Western Conference, while Charlotte is 13th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 11-29.

Recent Form

The Trail Blazers improved to 16-28 on the season with a 101-79 win over the Magic on Thursday. Portland, who entered the game as +7 point underdogs, not only won but covered the spread with a dominant 22-point victory.

After trailing 21-18 at the end of the 1st quarter, the Blazers took control by outscoring Orlando 29-18 in the 2nd quarter. They continued to pull away, winning both the 3rd and 4th quarters 27-20. The game’s total points of 180 fell well short of the 213-point line.

The Hornets fell to 11-29 on the season after a 132-120 road loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Charlotte entered the game as +12 point underdogs, and the final score matched the spread. The total points of 252 exceeded the O/U line of 242 by 10 points.

Memphis took control early, going on a 12-0 run and outscoring Charlotte 40-23 in the 2nd quarter. The Hornets tried to rally, winning the 3rd and 4th quarters 36-28 and 36-26, respectively, but couldn’t overcome the Grizzlies’ 106-84 lead heading into the final period.

The Historicals

Across the previous five meetings between the teams, the Trail Blazers have an average scoring margin of +4 points per game, leading to an ATS mark of 4-1. The over-under record in these same games is 1-4, with the teams combining for an average of 204 points per game.

Analysis

Anfernee Simons led the Trail Blazers with 21 points in their win over the Magic, shooting 53.3% from the field and hitting three threes at a 50% rate. Toumani Camara added 16 points, shooting 66.7%, while Deni Avdija contributed 13 points and five assists.

Portland shot 48.8% overall but struggled from beyond the arc, making just nine threes at 32.1%. Simons scored 11 points in the 2nd quarter and added seven more in the 4th.

Portland’s defense was dominant on Thursday, holding the Magic to just 79 points. The Trail Blazers allowed 21 points in the 1st quarter, 18 in the 2nd, and 20 in both the 3rd and 4th quarters. They limited Orlando to just 34% shooting from the field.

The Trail Blazers were especially effective defending the three, with the Magic hitting just six threes on 24% shooting. Portland also recorded 14 steals and 12 blocks in the game.

Mark Williams was dominant for the Hornets in their 132-120 loss to the Grizzlies, scoring 38 points on 77.8% shooting while adding nine rebounds and five assists. LaMelo Ball contributed 22 points despite shooting just 35% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range, where he made 2 of his attempts. Miles Bridges also struggled from deep, hitting two threes at 25% efficiency, finishing with 17 points on 35.7% shooting.

As a team, the Hornets shot 47.7% from the field but made only 11 threes, shooting 35.5% from beyond the arc. Williams was particularly effective in the 3rd and 4th quarters, scoring 14 points in the 3rd and 15 more in the final period. Ball added 10 of his 22 points in the 4th quarter.

The Hornets’ defense struggled early, giving up 38 points in the 1st quarter and 40 in the 2nd, leading to a 132-120 loss to the Grizzlies. They tightened up in the 3rd and 4th quarters, allowing 28 and 26 points, respectively, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their early defensive lapses.

Charlotte allowed Memphis to shoot 50% from the field, including 44% from three-point range, where the Grizzlies hit 21 threes. The Hornets sent Memphis to the line just 14 times, where they made 13 free throws. Defensively, the Hornets recorded nine steals and four blocks.

Betting Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Portland has an ATS record of 5-0 while averaging 112 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
• Across their last five home contests, Charlotte has a 2-1-2 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 2-3 while averaging 116 points per game.
• In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Trail Blazers have a straight-up record of 5-5 and an ATS mark of 7-3.
• Looking back on the team’s last three games as the favorite, the Hornets have a straight up record of 1-2. Their record vs the spread in these games was 0-3.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

It is a very small slate in the NBA today, but I still see this Trail Blazers and Hornets matchup as a great betting opportunity. Portland just crushed Orlando last night but are the underdogs heading into Charlotte to take on the Hornets. But rather than looking at the spread, I’m going to take the under in this one. Charlotte has a lot of guys dealing with injuries, while the Blazers are playing on the 2nd night of a back-to-back. Look for this one to stay under 220.5.