New Orleans Pelicans vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 02/02/26

This line belies a bigger question than who is better; it asks whether Charlotte should be laying this price to anyone. The Hornets have had stretches of good basketball, especially at home, but their wins tend to come through flow and rhythm rather than control. They can score in bursts, they can even clamp down, but they’re not built to methodically put teams away. That includes teams like the Pels, who the market on any given night avoids like the Black Plague. That means that New Orleans is certainly taking back an inflated number by default, which is optimal against a team with Charlotte’s profile.

Charlotte’s offense can run hot, but it can also flatten out and struggle to create separation. That’s where an underdog like New Orleans can hang around. The Pelicans don’t need to be polished — they need to be persistent. If they win the physical battles and generate extra possessions, the math works in their favor. The price on the Hornets asks them to be prolific and carry their own weight. This is a huge contrast to being a team that was a plucky underdog playing with nothing to lose just weeks ago. New Orleans plus the points is the safer play.

Pelicans vs Hornets prediction: New Orleans +6.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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