The Atlanta Hawks will be hoping to deal the Charlotte Hornets their fourth-straight loss when the two teams meet at Philips Arena on Sunday. The Hawks have to be feeling pretty good about their chances here, as the Hornets will be missing some key rotation players because of the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Will Charlotte find a way to avoid losing to Atlanta for the second time in a couple of weeks? Keep reading our NBA betting picks and predictions for Hornets vs. Hawks to find out.
Hornets vs Hawks odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Hawks were 4-point favorites against the Hornets at first, but they’re now laying 6.5 or 7 on nearly every sportsbook. That drastic change is a result of some of Charlotte’s top players being ruled out for this one. The total for this game opened at 222.5 and is now down to 220.5 or 220.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Hornets vs Hawks predictions
Predictions made on 12/5/2021 at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Hornets vs Hawks game info
• Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Date: Sunday, December 5, 2021
• Tip-off: 6:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Atlanta, Bally Sports Charlotte
Hornets vs Hawks betting preview
Injuries
Hornets: LaMelo Ball G (Out), Terry Rozier G (Out), Mason Plumlee C (Out), Jalen McDaniels F (Out), Cody Martin F (Probable).
Hawks: Trae Young G (Questionable), Kevin Huerter G (Questionable), Bogdan Bogdanovic G (Out), Cameron Reddish F (Questionable), De’Andre Hunter F (Out), Onyeka Okongwu C (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Hawks are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against teams with winning records. . Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Hawks.
Hornets vs Hawks picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
Last year, the Hawks took things to another level when head coach Nate McMillan transformed Atlanta into a Top-10 defense. This year, the Hawks have a Top-3 offensive rating and are sitting at 21st in the NBA in defensive rating. That change has made this team a lot less reliable on a night-to-night basis. Perhaps they will become a better defensive team when they get De’Andre Hunter back, but this Hawks team is vulnerable right now.
The Hornets might be missing a few of their best players, but they have the fourth-best offensive rating in basketball and are deep enough to not get blown out in this game. Gordon Hayward might no longer be the player he was with the Utah Jazz, but a lot of that is due to his workload. In a game like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if he threw it back and carried his team. Meanwhile, guys like Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington are more than capable of holding their own against this Atlanta frontcourt. And the Hornets do have James Bouknight, the 11th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, to play in place of some of their missing backcourt pieces. Bouknight is a very talented scorer and has been waiting on an opportunity to play.
It’s also worth noting that the Hawks aren’t exactly at full strength right now. They’ll be without Bogdanovic in this game, and his shooting ability is one of the main reasons this Atlanta team is so good offensively. Young and Huerter are also banged up for the Hawks, who are already down Hunter and are likely to be without Reddish.
Prediction: Hornets +7.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
While the Hornets should be able to score at a decent clip without some of their best players, this game should still go Under tonight’s high number. The Under has actually hit in each of the last four meetings between these teams, and these two combined to score just 220 points a few weeks ago. That was a 115-105 victory for the Hawks in which there was a lot more talent on the floor.
The Under is also 24-12 when the Hawks have played as home favorites since the start of last season. And if that’s not enough, the Under is 1-5 in the six games that Charlotte has played against division opponents this year.
Prediction: Under 222.5 (-110)
Best bet
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Hawks are 1-6 ATS when coming off an upset loss as a home favorite, which is exactly what they were when they fell short against the Philadelphia 76ers the other night. They’re also 3-5 ATS in that time when coming off a loss by three points or less. This Atlanta team hasn’t responded well to close losses in recent years, and Vegas now needs this group to win big in a difficult spot.
As previously mentioned, this Hawks defense has been rather miserable this year and the Hornets have one of the best offensive head coaches in the league in James Borrego. Even without some of his best players, look for Borrego to put together a plan to keep the Hawks on the ropes.
Pick: Hornets +7.5 (-110)
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