Spread & over/under predictions: Hornets try to avoid sweep against Sixers

The Hornets (7-20) are on the road again on Friday, this time headed to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers (8-16).

This will be the fourth meeting between the squads this season, with each of the first three games being won by Philadelphia. The most recent matchup was earlier this week, where the Sixers won 121-108 in Charlotte.

Charlotte enters the matchup on the second night of a back-to-back after playing the Wizards last night. Winners of just one of their last twelve games, the Hornets look like a completely different team than the scrappy and energetic squad that kicked off the season.

On the other side, Philadelphia finds themselves 5-2 since Thanksgiving and looking much better than their awful start to the season. Even with former MVP Joel Embiid and rookie sensation Jared McCain missing some time due to injury, the Sixers seem to have found that playoff-caliber rhythm behind the play of Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.

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: 76ers -11

3-star play on the 76ers (-11): Philadelphia is looking for a convincing sweep to the season series, having won the first three games by an average of seven points per game. While that is under the line of 11 points given for this matchup, it is important to note that the margin of victory has jumped from 2 to 6 and then to 21 as these teams have become more familiar with each other.

This trend feels indicative of the overall experience for the Hornets this season. A close but exciting overtime loss earlier in the season encapsulated what felt like a good direction under new coach Charles Lee to start the year. Most recently, though, we got a flat and unimaginative performance during the blowout loss, leaving fans wondering where things have gone wrong.

The Sixers have a major rest advantage and are simply playing better basketball by a wide margin right now. The scales will be tipped further in their favor if Embiid- questionable for tonight’s matchup- is able to suit up.

Over/Under: 218

2-star play on the over: The over would have been 1-2 in the previous three matchups this season with the given line, with only the matchup earlier this week crossing that threshold.

Both of these teams are bottom-five in the league in offensive rating, while neither team appears in the top-10 of defensive ratings. Charlotte is just 25th in pace league-wide, but Philadelphia is even slower ranked at 28th.

The over has hit in five of the Hornets' last seven games though and this line feels a bit on the lower side given the improved health of the two squads. Take the over, particularly if Embiid and/or Miller suit up.

My picks this season:

ATS: 11-5 (68.8%)

O/U: 8-8 (50.0%)

Overall: 19-13 (59.4%)

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