I am honestly a bit stunned at this price because let's consider the last connotation we had of these two teams. Charlotte was the up-and-comer, finding its rhythm in the new year, and even making the play-in bracket. Even with the roster reshuffle that saw LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges depart, there is plenty of optimism in the Queen City with veterans Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Dennis Schroeder, and Coby White joining Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Knueppel will miss this contest, as will Grant Williams, who is a key bench piece, but that doesn't entirely explain why Charlotte is catching points against a Brooklyn outfit that won a whopping 20 games last season. Who the heck would want anything to do with the Nets? Their projected win total is an enchanting 24.5, and yet here they are laying points against a Hornets team that seemingly has considerably more upside.
One would suspect that Charlotte is still the better team, even without Knueppel, but the market is serving them up like a dish against the languishing Nets. That is precisely what makes this number so intriguing. Sometimes the price tells you everything you need to know, and this is a case of the line dictating the play. Brooklyn, we go hard. Nets minus the points.
Hornets vs Nets prediction: Brooklyn -2.5 (-108) available at time of publishing. Playable to -2.
