**What:** Charlotte Hornets (32-33) (18-16 away) at Portland Trail Blazers (31-34) (17-15 home)
**When:** 10:00 pm Eastern
**Where:** Moda Center; Portland, OR
**How to watch:** FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
**Outfitting:** Hornets–Icon (teal), Trail Blazers–Association (white)
**Game Lines:** Hornets -3.5, Hornets money line -148, O/U 227.5
**Injuries:**
Hornets: Coby White-out (calf management), Liam McNeeley-out (ankle)
Blazers: Shaedon Sharpe-out (leg), Damian Lillard-out (achilles)
It’s a rematch from a couple of weeks ago. The Blazers were without their all star and potential NBA most improved player Deni Avdija, and the Hornets easily took care of business. This meeting probably won’t look the same. The first meeting was played early in the afternoon in the eastern time zone. This one is in the evening on the west coast. The Blazers have almost their full preferred lineup.
Portland has gone 2-2 since the previous meeting with wins against the Grizzlies and Pacers and losses to the Hawks and Rockets. The Hornets in their current form are closer to the latter two teams than the former, so this is their game to lose.
Avidja gives the Blazers a downhill threat that they were lacking with him out of the lineup. He’s one of the best players in the league at drawing fouls, and he’s one of the best players at finishing his shots while getting fouled. The Hornets have been one of the better teams in the league at keeping opponents off the line all season, but that hasn’t held true the last week or two. They need to play very disciplined defense on Avdija, who’s going to be very aggressive seeking out contact.
It’s always fascinating to watch Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller go head to head after all the discussions about the two back in the 2023 NBA Draft, especially considering what the fan sentiment was at the time. Henderson missed most of the season with an injury and has been working his way back. He hadn’t found his rhythm yet, but he did have far and away his best game of the season last time out. The Hornets have been victimized by role player breakout performances in their last couple games, so there’s a little reason to worry that Scoot could be the next one to get them.
Coby White is out as the team manages his recovery from a calf injury. That means Tre Mann needs to be counted on to keep the offense moving when LaMelo Ball is off the floor. Those minutes have been tough sledding this season. It’d be nice to see Mann recapture what he had at the beginning of last season.
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