Hornets vs Jazz Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Sexton Hits the Right Notes

The Charlotte Hornets (13-41) may not have the most impressive record, but they have been impressive as of late. They come out of the All-Star break carrying a three-game winning streak on the back of stellar play from Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges. 

They will look to build on their streak on Thursday as they travel to face the NBA odds favorite Utah Jazz (26-30), who are trying to make it into the Play-In Tournament, sitting 2.5 games behind the final spot. The Hornets may be catching the Jazz at the right time, who are currently on a four-game losing skid and have also lost seven of their last nine and 10 of their last 14.

Can Brandon Miller extend Charlotte's winning streak and keep the Jazz reeling? Or will Lauri Markkanen and company finally end the Jazz's losing ways?

Continue reading for my free NBA picks and predictions for the Hornets vs Jazz matchup on Thursday, February 22nd.

Hornets vs Jazz odds

Hornets vs Jazz predictions

NBA action picks back up on Thursday night following the All-Star break with a whopping 12 games on tonight's slate, and no game is arguably uglier than the Hornets vs Jazz matchup. The two teams combine for the fewest number of wins on the slate, and they currently rank 21st (Charlotte) and dead last (Utah) in turnover rate.

The Jazz would be the highlight of this matchup on paper, but things have been ugly for Utah as of late. Losers of four straight and 10 of their last 14, the Jazz have been outright horrendous as of late.

During that 14-game stretch, they‘ve ranked 27th in net rating and 30th in defensive rating. To their credit, they've ranked eighth in offensive rating and first in rebounding rate during that span, but it has all been for naught, given the points they've let up. In fact, they've given up an average of 134 points during their current four-game skid.

Maybe the Jazz will find better luck tonight against a Hornets team that has ranked 26th in offensive rating on the year. And while Charlotte is on a three-game winning streak, it didn't exactly put up eye-opening offensive numbers in the process, managing just 122 and 111 points against the Hawks and Pacers heading into the break, the second-and fifth-worst teams in defensive rating on the year.

Charlotte just has not been great at generating good looks, managing the fourth-worst effective field goal percentage on the year. And on the other side they haven't really been impressive either, allowing a league-worst 57.9% effective field goal percentage to date.

My best bet: Jazz -9.5 (-110 at FanDuel)

Hornets vs Jazz same-game parlay

Jazz -9.5

Nick Richards over 11.5 points

Collin Sexton over 20.5 points

+575 at FanDuel

While Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges have been the offensive motor as of late, an unsuspecting Nick Richards may actually be the player to benefit most from tonight's matchup.

45.5% of the Hornets' points this season have come from inside the paint this year, good for the 10th-best mark. The Jazz have allowed 52.3 points per game in the paint, putting them in the bottom third.

Richards has scored 12+ points in four straight games and in eight of his last 13, and his line for Thursday's matchup sits at 11.5.

Another plus-matchup spot plays towards the aforementioned plethora of turnovers both of these teams commit, particularly the Hornets. Utah's Collin Sexton averages 3.4 points per game on fast breaks, which ranks 15th-best in the league. What makes his ranking very impressive is that none of the 14 players ahead of him average fewer than 30 minutes per game (Sexton averages 24.6).

However, Sexton has seen a noticeable increase in playing time and usage since early January, and during that time (since January 13th) he actually has ranked seventh in fast break points. The only players ahead of him: Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, De'Aaron Fox, and RJ Barrett.

This is an undeniably great spot for the speedy Sexton, which rounds out this same-game parlay.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Hornets vs Jazz spread and Over/Under analysis

Charlotte hasn't just been poor in the win-loss column, it's also been horrendous against the spread. Their 21-33 record in that regard is good for the third-worst cover rate on the season, and their 8-17 record on the road is the league's worst.

And that comes despite having covered three straight during their current win streak. They had managed to cover just twice in the 10 games prior to that stretch.

The Jazz have played to a 30-25-1 record against the spread, with their 54.6% cover rate good for ninth-best in the league. They continue to be incredibly strong at home, going 18-9 in that split — the second-best mark in the league.

They've failed to cover in four straight and have covered just twice in their last seven, but had gone 14-6 against the spread prior to that.

The Hornets have been rather even on totals this year, going 28-26 to the Over. That evenness has carried over in home-away splits, playing to a 13-12 record favoring the Over on the road.

Conversely, Utah has gone 32-23-1 to the Over this year, good for a 58.2% rate of Overs; the third-highest on the season. The rate has been higher at home at 61.5%, playing 16-10-1 that way.

The Jazz have also gone 12-5 towards the Over in their last 17, largely in part due to their defensive struggles as of late.

Covers community NBA picks

Hornets vs Jazz betting trend to know

The Jazz have hit the team total Over in 47 of their last 74 games (+16.15 Units / 19% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Jazz.

Hornets vs Jazz game info

Hornets vs Jazz latest injuries

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic