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Spread & over/under predictions for Hornets vs. Pistons

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Jan 3, 2025 10:24 AM ET

There's a chance that the Charlotte Hornets will have their main five fully healthy when they take the floor tonight against the Detroit Pistons. If that's the case, it'll be just the second time this season that LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Josh Green, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams were all available in the same game.

Here are my picks for tonight's game. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Star ratings (Strength of prediction):

1 Star - Not very confident
2 Star - A little confident
3 Star - Fairly confident
4 Star - Very confident
5 Star - Should be a lock to happen

Spread: Hornets +7.5

3-star play on the Hornets (+7.5): Yes, this is a much improved Detroit Pistons team, but the Hornets have had a ton of success in the Motor City over the years. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller have been upgraded to questionable, which leads me to believe there's a good chance that they'll be available. I'll go with my gut here and take the points. If Ball and Miller are indeed both available, I'd bump this up to a 4-star play.

Over/Under: 219.5

1-star play on the under: I'm not overly confident in this play, but I do think it's the right side to look at. This will be the first game the Pistons will be without Jaden Ivey, so it'll be interesting to see how their offense operates with him on the shelf. But really, the main reason I look to the under is because of Charlotte's inability to score the ball at a high rate. They take a bunch of threes but are toward the bottom in the association in three-point percentage. For the most part, the offense has been atrocious.