Andrew Wilsher

The Charlotte Hornets have been wrecking opponents of late. Each of the last 3 games they have been involved in they have won by 19 or more points. That includes wins over divisional rivals the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, who are both still in the chase for an automatic playoff spot. Tonight, they host a Sacramento Kings team that does not have such aspirations. They have 11 players on the injury report that includes Precious Achiuwa. The forward is close to averaging a 16-point double-double over the last 10 games but is listed as questionable to play. Without him the team with the worst road record in the Western Conference will struggle to stay competitive.

Over the last 10 games the Hornets are a top 5 in the NBA in net offensive and defensive rating. The Kings are in the bottom 10, which should tell you a lot about which way this game is likely to go. The visitors have also been 29th in the league in opponent 3-point percentage. That is not a great stat when going up against a Hornets team making 39.3% of 3-point attempts during that run. Kon Kneuppel, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball should be able to do damage from the perimeter here. The hosts are also 5th in opponent points in the paint during that time and will be well positioned to slow down Maxime Raynaud. The Hornets will have too much firepower for the Kings to match here.

Sacramento Kings vs Charlotte Hornets prediction: Hornets -17.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to Hornets -18.5.

Allowing 128 points and losing to the Indiana Pacers was a really bad look for the Orlando Magic who have now lost 5 straight games. With the Charlotte Hornets being just a game back in the standings, they could drop to 10th very easily if they don’t snap out of this mess. Playing on a 2nd night of a back-to-back in Cleveland is far from ideal, but then again the Magic are 8-3 SU in 11 games played in this scenario. Granted, some of those win came against tankers and bad teams, but they also did beat Denver and Charlotte with no rest. The oddsmakers have really lost faith in them, the spread is at 10 points going into tonight’s game. Orlando is 2-5 ATS/SU in 7 meetings with the Cavs.

The Cavaliers are headed in a completely different direction than the Magic are right now. They’ve all but secured the 4th seed in the East with a 3-game win streak following a successful road trip where they beat the Bucks, Bulls and Pels. They’re one of the more consistent home teams in the entire NBA with 22 wins in 35 games, against Orlando they’ve lost only once at home in 7 meetings. Jarrett Allen’s absence has been tough to overcome in the rebounding department, that’s my only worry ahead of Tuesday’s game. Donovan Mitchell in particular has enjoyed playing Orlando this season, he’s averaging 35.3 points per game in the 3 meetings on almost 50% shooting.

Despite the losing streak, Orlando has been in games lately. Their last 3 of 4 have all been decided by single digits. Yes, they are on a losing streak at the moment, but the sense of urgency to get a result might push them beyond their limits here. They’re 10th in the NBA in paint scoring, if they’re smart they’ll look to take advantage of Allen’s absence here and attack the interior of the Cavaliers. I have Orlando covering here.

Magic vs Cavaliers prediction: Magic +10 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Denver Nuggets travel to face the Phoenix Suns in a matchup between a pair of upper tier Western Conference teams, and the numbers point to a competitive game. Denver enters 44-28, averaging 120.3 points per game while shooting 49% from the field, led by Nikola Jokic, who is again averaging a triple double at 28/12/10 assists per game. The Nuggets have had success in this matchup, winning 4 of the last 5 meetings and averaging 126.8 points per game in those contests, showing their ability to consistently generate offense against Phoenix.

The Phoenix Suns are close behind at 40-32 and have been strong specifically at home. Led by Devin Booker, who averages 25.5 points and 5.9 assists per game, Phoenix scores 112.3 points per game while allowing 111.0, reflecting a more balanced profile. The Suns are also in strong form, going 8-2 in their last 10 games, and have the offensive firepower to match Denver’s scoring. In a matchup between 2 elite teams, the margin is often thin, and with Phoenix playing in its home building, taking the points with the underdog offers value rather than laying them with the road favorite.

Nuggets vs Suns prediction: Suns +5.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +4.5

The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs have a very interesting matchup on Tuesday. On paper, the Maple Leafs need to lose as many games as they can down the stretch to get a top-5 draft pick. If they don’t, they’ll relinquish their first-round pick to the Bruins, meaning that if Boston wins this game, they’ll be helping their playoff chances but hurting their chances of getting a draft pick in the 6-10 range. If the Maple Leafs win, they’ll hurt their bitter rival’s chances of making the playoffs a year after retooling, but they’ll also increase the chances of giving them an elite prospect at 6th overall. It is a bit of a confusing time for both teams. The only thing everyone knows is that Toronto has completely fallen off this season since losing Mitch Marner. The team’s culture was already teetering on the brink, but something shifted this season that completely threw the landscape off. The result is one of the worst-looking Maple Leafs teams of this generation.

Conversely, the Bruins have been defying the odds all season, but their offense has been inconsistent at times, and Joseph Woll always plays Boston well. If Anthony Stolarz were the projected starter, it’d be a bit more concerning for the under, but he is likely still out after taking an errant William Nylander warmup shot to the throat. If you’re looking for one goaltender who hasn’t been causing their fans to pull their hair out this season, it is Jeremy Swayman. His performance on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings was a massive one for the team’s playoff chances this season, and it furthered the belief that if the Bruins make the postseason, Swayman has to be under consideration for the Vezina Trophy.

We’ve got a couple of sputtering offenses in this game, plus a Bruins goaltender who has been the best in the league since the Olympic break, and a Leafs goaltender who has the potential on any given night to steal the show. It feels like Tuesday’s meeting at TD Garden could be a stringy, defensive outing.

Maple Leafs vs Bruins prediction: Under 6.5 (-130) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday in the NHL. Just 8 days ago, Pittsburgh stormed into Colorado and embarrassed them in a 7-2 win. Can they do it again? Our Avalanche vs. Penguins prediction will help us find out.

Not many teams can say they beat one of the NHL’s best teams by 5 goals, but Pittsburgh can. However, I don’t see this happening twice. In fact, I expect Colorado to come out with a vengeance in this game. A 7-2 blowout is not a result anyone would take likely, let alone one of the Stanley Cup favorites. Since that game, Pittsburgh has looked suspect. They are 1-1-1 in that span, but have given up 15 goals and have been outscored 15-11. As for Colorado, they have answered the bell with a 2-0-1 run where they have given up just 5 goals in nearly 110 minutes of gameplay. They have proven to be a far more mature and superior team than Pittsburgh, and playing on the road has not been a factor, sporting an excellent 23-7-5 record. Colorado has been losing ground in what once was an un-catchable lead in the NHL standings, so they cannot afford to lose the points. Take Colorado on the money line on Tuesday.

Avalanche vs Penguins prediction: Avalanche ML (-160) available at time of publishing. Playable to -180.

The San Jose Sharks enter Tuesday’s matchup against the Nashville Predators having scored just a single goal over their last 2 games. However, they scored 3 or more goals in 5 straight games prior to their recent dry spell, and Macklin Celebrini and company have proved that they are capable of lighting the lamp at a high clip early and often this season. The young core led by Celebrini and Will Smith have shown plenty of scoring ability, but San Jose’s defense is still among the worst in the league. The Sharks rank 31st in the NHL allowing 3.56 goals per game, and the Predators have scored 3 ore more goals in 6 of their last 7 games.

Jaroslav Askarov is slated to be available between the pipes for San Jose after missing 2 weeks with a lower body injury. With Laurent Brossoit getting sent down to the AHL on Monday, it seems likely that Askarov will get the starting nod in net. He hasn’t played since March 10, so it’s possible some rust is evident. Furthermore, Askarov had allowed 4 or more goals in 3 of 4 starts before sustaining the injury, and owns a less-than-ideal save percentage of .868 since the start of February. With the way the Predators are rolling offensively, they should be able to give Askarov all he can handle in his return to the ice. Look for Nashville to do most of the damage, but San Jose is capable of scoring enough to take this one over the listed total of 6.5.

Sharks vs Predators prediction: Over 6.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable to -115.