Andrew Wilsher

Charlotte has evolved into one of the more dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference over the course of 2026. What once looked like a middling roster at best has begun to find consistency on both ends of the floor, and the results have followed. The Hornets have shown the ability to defend at a high level while also producing offensive bursts that can quickly shift the momentum of a game. Their 30-point win over Miami earlier this week was a perfect example of how quickly Charlotte can separate when its offense starts flowing and the defense holds serve.

What makes the Hornets particularly difficult to deal with right now is their versatility. Charlotte can win games in multiple ways. If the tempo rises, they have the scoring to match it. If the game slows down, they are comfortable leaning on their defense and executing in the half court. That flexibility presents a problem for Orlando. The Magic tend to rely on a defense-first identity built around controlling pace and limiting possessions. Against most teams that approach can dictate the style of play. Charlotte, however, has proven capable of playing that same slower, defensive game while still having more offensive options available when needed. Location also matters here. This matchup takes place in Charlotte, where the Hornets have been significantly more confident and aggressive offensively. Orlando on the contrary, hangs it hat on its home court presence, as well. If the Hornets continue the balanced form they’ve shown throughout the year, their defensive stability and ability to score in bursts should ultimately allow them to win and pull away.

Magic vs Hornets prediction: Hornets -5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to the number.

There’s been scary news came in for the Detroit Pistons this week, as star point guard Cade Cunningham will be out for an extended period of time with a collapsed lung. He left the game on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards just 5 minutes in, but the Pistons were still able to rally to take home the 130-117 win. These teams will now run it back for a second straight game, as the Pistons will try to win their 50th game of the season.

Jalen Duran stepped up in a big way in Tuesday’s action with Cunningham out, finishing the game with 36 points on 13-17 shooting from the floor. With the Wizards missing Alex Sarr, they had no answer for the Detroit big man. Sarr is questionable to return for Thursday’s game with a toe injury. Cunningham has not missed a lot of time this season, so it could be unclear who will take over the majority of time in the starting point guard spot. It will likely be a committee of Daniss Jenkins, Marcus Sasser, Duncan Robinson, and Caris LeVert slated to run the offense. With question marks in their backcourt, it is hard for me to back the Pistons to cover this number. These two teams have played each other three times this season, and the Wizards have been competitive in all three games. It took a 137-135 overtime win for the Pistons to beat the Wizards in their first meeting, and then the Wizards beat the Pistons in Detroit 126-117 back in February. I like the Wizards and their plethora of young guards to keep this game competitive against Detroit.

Pistons vs Wizards prediction: Wizards +14.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Clippers are slated to play their second game of a back-to-back tonight. As slight 1.5 point favorites at the time of tip off, the Pelicans won and covered the spread handily last night 124-109. Saddiq Bey led the team with 25 points, and Trey Murphy added 23 points. As a whole, the Pelicans shot 53% to get their first win in three tries against the Clippers this season. Some good news for Los Angeles is that yesterday was the return to the lineup for Kawhi Leonard after a short injury stint. Leonard is once again listed as available for tonight, but his running mate, Bennedict Mathurin will remain out with an injury. Mathurin had seemingly been excelling in his role on the Clippers, averaging 20.6 points per game in his last ten games.

The Clippers will need to rely on Leonard and Darius Garland to get the job done against the Pelicans tonight. Despite the Pelicans sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, they have been a difficult team to beat recently. Out of all the teams currently sitting out of the playoff picture, the Pelicans are the only team actively still trying to win games. New Orleans has won 9 of their last 13 games. Some good news for Los Angeles is only two of those wins came against a team with a winning record. The Pelicans will once again be favored tonight, but I think the Clippers can bounce back to get a win. These teams played back on March 1st, and with no Garland, the Clippers shot 54% and won 137-117. Despite the Pelicans recent success, they still rank as a bottom-10 defensive team. The Clippers have the tools and players to bounce back tonight.

Clippers vs Pelicans prediction: Clippers ML (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

Linus Ullmark has been on a great run lately for the Senators, including this past weekend when he won both games on a back-to-back. Ottawa will need its goaltending to step up if they are going to make a push to the last wildcard, but with Ullmark playing on Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals, it’s extremely likely that they’ll give the reins to James Reimer for the matchup with the Islanders.

Nearly every game has been a must-win for the Senators, which is why Reimer has just three starts in the past two months. Ottawa has been leaning heavily on Ullmark, and it is starting to pay off. However, you can’t look past the veteran Reimer, who has won his last two starts (which were 32 days apart) and had a 16-save shutout in his most recent start against the Vancouver Canucks. The Islanders’ goaltending situation is a bit more unclear, as Patrick Roy has been using both goalies regularly, while Ilya Sorokin stands out statistically over David Rittich.

If Sorokin stars on Thursday, the Islanders hold a clear edge in the goaltending battle. Both teams have been red hot with seven wins in their last 10 games, but the Senators having to play the second night of their back-to-back with a goaltender who played two games over the past 2 months, seem like a massive edge toward Sorokin, who is one of the top candidates for the Vezina Trophy this season.

Given their recent form on home ice, the Senators are a scary proposition, but the Islanders are the team waiting in Ottawa while the Senators fly back from Washington early Thursday morning. If the Islanders are the underdog here, the value is too good not to take them.

Islanders vs Senators prediction: Islanders ML (+120) available at time of publishing. Playable to (+110).

The Montreal Canadiens will take on the Detroit Red Wings Thursday night. These are 2 very evenly matched teams with the Canadiens sitting at 4th in the Eastern Conference and the Red Wings sitting at 7th. In the past 5 games, both teams have scored 14 goals while giving up 13, the only difference is that the Canadiens have won 3 games compared to the Red Wings 2 games. Additionally, these teams have met twice this year and have split the series. The interesting thing is that the away team won both previous head-to-head matchups.

In finding an edge, I lean toward the Canadiens. On the season they are averaging 3.49 goals per game which ranks them 4th in the NHL. The Canadiens also score on 13.2% of their shots compared to the Red Wings 10.4% of shots. The Red Wings have also lost 5 of their last 6 at home. The Canadiens offense has found a way of scoring away from home with them scoring 22 goals over their last 5 away games. Overall, I trust the Canadiens offense and away form more than I trust the Red Wings. I am taking the Canadiens on the money line.

Canadiens vs Red Wings prediction: Canadiens ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Edmonton Oilers will be hosting the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. The Oilers come into this game riding a two-game winning streak, however they will be without one of their horses, Leon Draisaitl. He is set to miss majority of, if not all of the Oilers remaining regular season games. Going into action on Wednesday, the Oilers are sitting tied for the lead in the Pacific Division. Winning the division is important to avoid a potential first-round matchup with the Anaheim Ducks or the Vegas Golden Knights. Connor McDavid is going to have to elevate his game even further in Draisaitl’s absence if the Oilers are going to finish this season strong. McDavid is more than capable of doing this.

Hosting the Panthers will be no easy game, but the Oilers are very good on home ice. They are 18-11-4 at Rogers Place this season. They are also capable of out scoring their defensive mistakes as they average 3.52 goals per game. This is third-best in the NHL. I expect a strong showing from the Oilers. Give me them on the money line.

Panthers vs Oilers prediction: Oilers ML (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The anatomy of an upset. We’re going to break it down. The Badgers are a team that lead with offensive first, play with pace, and love to attack from the perimeter. When it all goes well, Wiscy can put up 100 points and look unstoppable. But if the shots don’t fall? Wisconsin can be in trouble. Particularly, when the opponent plays with pace and score like the Panthers can.

If you are filling out your bracket, High Point is worth being written down to spring the annual 5 vs 12 upset. From a betting perspective, getting the Panthers with the points is one of the better plays you will encounter perhaps in any sport this week. We don’t even need High Point to win to cash this ticket, but it can. That’s the whole point. Wisconsin is tagged by many to be a dark horse in the West Region. Analysts love the prospect of an Arkansas-Wisconsin smokeshow in the round of 32. The problem is that horse may never get out of the gate. But because High Point has been part of March Madness 2 years in a row and hasn’t won a game yet in school history, it seems unfathomable for such events to unfold. That’s how brackets are broken and how winning plays are uncovered. A Panthers victory would be inconceivable to many, but the set-up is there. All we need is the Panthers to compete in a game that I believe they will win outright.

High Point vs Wisconsin prediction: High Point +10 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable to +7.

One of the more intriguing first-round matchups on Thursday features the VCU Rams vs the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Rams rolled through the A-10 tournament and they head into the NCAAs on a 6-game winning streak. The Tar Heels come into the tournament vulnerable, with star freshman Caleb Wilson out for the year. If you are shopping for an upset for your bracket, this would be a good spot to look. For bettors, there is still value here, too, and I look for VCU to keep this game close at +2.5.

The Heels obviously still have lots of talent without Wilson — no doubt about that. Seth Trimble especially will step up and carry the load. But there is more here. In particular, this is a dangerous matchup for Carolina. VCU is an elite 3-point shooting team, and when they aren’t shooting threes, the Rams are good at getting themselves to the foul line. While UNC does not foul a lot, it does struggle to defend the arc. If there is one tried and true formula for a first-round upset, that is it — the ability for underdogs to make 3s. It is also worth noting that VCU beat Virginia Tech by 18 and nearly upended NC State, so it can go toe to toe with ACC squads. And those games were in November; the Rams have only improved since then. I like VCU in this spot.

VCU vs North Carolina prediction: VCU +2.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Idaho Vandals and the Houston Cougars will face off on Thursday for round one of the NCAA Tournament. This game is a late tip-off in Oklahoma City following the Saint Mary’s and Texas A&M game. I do not expect this one to be a very close one, as Houston should be able to handle Idaho without many issues. The Vandals finished the regular season just 17-14 but went on a 4-game winning streak to win the Big Sky Conference Tournament. The Big Sky has not fared well in the Big Dance, as they are just 3-10-1 against the spread since 2010. I expect Houston to add to that bad record and cover the spread here.

Houston -23.5 is my best bet of the game because I do not see Idaho having any success against Houston’s high-level defense. The Cougars have an elite defense every year under Kelvin Sampson, and this year is no different. According to KenPom, Houston’s defense is ranked #5 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, #17 in effective field goal percentage and #10 in two-point percentage. The Vandals’ offense is ranked just #176 in adjusted offensive efficiency, so I expect them to struggle to score. They shoot a bunch of threes but only at 34.5 percent from beyond the arc, and will likely not be able to score much inside here. Take Houston to cover.

Idaho vs Houston prediction: Houston -23.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -25.