**What:** Charlotte Hornets (22-28) (10-13 home) vs New Orleans Pelicans (13-28) (5-19 away)
**When:** 3:00pm Eastern
**Where:** Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC
**How to watch:** FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
**Outfitting:** Hornets–Association (white), Pelicans–Icon (navy)
**Game Lines:** Hornets -7.5, Hornets money line -298, O/U 233.5
**Injuries:**
Hornets: Josh Green-probable (thumb), Mason Plumlee-out (groin)
Pelicans: Dejounte Murray-out (achilles)
We have another game that was moved up to an early afternoon start time due to uncharacteristic winter weather in Charlotte. The Hornets are 3-0 in games that have been moved up with all of them coming during their six game winning streak. Now they get a not-good Pelicans team traveling east playing at an unusual time slot.
The Pelicans are having a bad time. They gave up their first round pick in the upcoming draft with no protections so they could get the 13th pick in the 2025 draft. That would imply that they expected to be at least as good this season (even though Murray is out for who knows how long) to make the trade worth it. Instead, they’ve been one of the worst teams in the league and could potentially give away the number one overall pick to the Atlanta Hawks. On top of that, they have nothing incoming, so they have exactly zero picks in the upcoming draft.
If it’s any consolation, their rookie class from 2025 has been as good if not better than advertised. Jeremiah Fears has cooled a bit, but he’s still averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists with pretty good efficiency relative to what he showed as a prospect. Derik Queen, who was the target when they punted on the 2026 draft, has a couple of triple doubles to his name, including one in which he dropped 33 points. He’s also hit a bit of a wall of late, but he’s done enough to have people very bullish on his future.
The veterans are interesting. Zion Williamson has played a decent amount this season but he hasn’t played like the superstar that we thought we were getting when he first came into the league. Trey Murphy III is sneaky very good and can absolutely catch fire from deep. Saddiq Bey has been the best guard they acquired in the CJ McCollum trade. Jordan Poole is on the roster but has getting DNP’ed the last few games. Jose Alvarado is a pesky guard that gives the Hornets problems, and Herbert Jones is a pest in his own right.
Despite their collection of interesting talent, the Pelicans really aren’t good at anything. They’re poor on both sides of the ball and they don’t rebound it well. They’re second to last in the league in both 3-point makes per game and 3-point percentage. If there’s one thing to keep note of, it’s that the Pelicans are pretty good at stealing the ball, which could pose a problem for a Hornets team that can get sloppy at times.
With how the Hornets have been playing, it’s a very good chance for them to extend their win streak to seven games. There is a chance they let their guard down after such an emotional win over the Spurs on Saturday, but hopefully the vibes are high enough to prevent that from happening. As long as they take care of the ball and continue making shots, they should be able to add another win to their tally.
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