The NBA betting board has eight games on Sunday's slate, including a matchup between a pair of teams poised to make the playoffs as the Portland Trail Blazers face the Charlotte Hornets.
The Blazers will be without MVP candidate Damian Lillard but are still 4-point road favorites against a Hornets side with plenty of injury concerns of their own.
Here are our best free Trail Blazers vs. Hornets picks and predictions for NBA betting action on Sunday, April 18. Tip off will be at 7 p.m. ET.
Trail Blazers vs Hornets odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonPortland went up as a 5.5-point favorite overnight at PointsBet USA and dropped to -4 this morning, then rebounded midafternoon to -4.5, where the line rests at 4 p.m. ET. "Eighty-one percent of bets and 80 percent of handle on the Blazers," PointsBet's Wyatt Yearout said. The total opened at 223.5 and tumbled to 216.5. "Sixty-eight percent of bets are on the Over, while 58 percent of handle is on the Under," Yearout said.
Check out the full line movement for this gameTrail Blazers at Hornets betting preview
Injuries
Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard PG (Out), Zach Collins PF (Out).
Hornets: P.J. Washington PF (Out), Devonte Graham PG (Out), Malik Monk SG (Out), Gordon Hayward SF (Out), LaMelo Ball PG (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 15-5 in Charlotte's last 20 games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Trail Blazers vs. Hornets.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Hornets are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and hope to lock themselves into a play-in berth. But they've been decimated by injuries ever since Rookie of the Year front-runner LaMelo Ball suffered a season-ending injury.
Although the Hornets managed to tread water without Ball, losing second-leading scorer Gordon Hayward to a foot sprain has really hurt. They are just 2-5 SU and ATS since he has been sidelined, including four straight losses. The Hornets might also be without two additional starters in Devonte' Graham and P.J. Washington, who are both listed as questionable.
That said, Portland will be without its best player in Lillard, who leads the team with 28.7 points and 7.7 assists per game. Although Lillard's hamstring injury isn't expected to keep him out of action for long, he missed the Blazers' previous game (a 107-106 win against the Spurs) and will be out tonight as well.
Even without Lillard, the Blazers have capable scoring options in C.J. McCollum, Norman Powell, and Carmelo Anthony and Portland has won all three games that Dame has missed this season.
With all these injuries piling up, the Hornets' offense looks like a real mess and has averaged just 99.8 points per game over the last four contests. They won't be able to keep up with a Blazers squad that averages 115.2 ppg on the road. Take Portland to win and cover.
PREDICTION: Portland -4 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The Over/Under for this game opened at 223.5 and has moved all the way down to 217.5. With both teams missing key offensive pieces that makes plenty of sense.
The Blazers have solid depth but it's simply not possible to lose an elite shot creator like Lillard and not take a step back on offense, while the Hornets have looked significantly worse on offense ever since they lost Ball.
He ignited their scoring attack with 15.9 points and 6.1 assists per game and since March 20 (the night of Ball's injury), Charlotte has averaged just 104.6 ppg in 15 contests after averaging 112.4 ppg in its first 40 games of the season.
The Under has cashed in four of Portland's last five games while the Hornets have gone 15-5 to the Under in their previous 20. Go with the line movement and take the Under.
PREDICTION: Under 217.5 (-110)
Player prop pick
McCollum will have to carry the scoring burden for Portland with Lillard sidelined, but even though McCollum averages 23.4 ppg he isn't quite the fearless outside shooter that Dame is.
Even though McCollum attempted 26 field goals in the last game in Lillard's absence, he took only six shots from deep—and connected on two of them.
He's gone 11 straight games without hitting more than four 3-pointers. With the Over/Under on his three-pointers tonight set at 4.5, consider the Under.
PREDICTION: C.J. McCollum 3-pointers Under 4.5 (-120)
Trail Blazers vs Hornets betting card
- Portland -4 (-110)
- Under 217.5 (-110)
- C.J. McCollum 3-pointers Under 4.5 (-120)
Picks made on 4/18/2021 at 12:05 p.m. ET
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