The Brooklyn Nets will hope to end a seven-game losing streak as they visit the Charlotte Hornets for a battle between Eastern Conference basement dwellers on Wednesday night.
While both teams are struggling, Brooklyn is in far worse shape, so I’ll be taking Charlotte to cover in my Nets vs. Hornets predictions for tonight.
Read on to learn why I like the Hornets and what other bets I’m considering in my free NBA picks for Wednesday, January 29.
Nets vs Hornets prediction
My best bet
Hornets -3 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
Few teams in the NBA are as bad as the Brooklyn Nets, particularly in their current configuration. Brooklyn has lost 12 of its last 13 games, and has seen its already weak offense sputter to a complete halt. While the Nets are scoring 105.5 ppg for the entire season – second-lowest in the NBA – that number has fallen to an anemic 91.6 ppg during their current seven-game losing streak.
Much of that is due to injury issues. Leading scorers Cam Thomas (24.7 ppg) and Cameron Johnson (19.4 ppg) have both missed time and will be out again for tonight’s game. A team that struggles to score at the best of times will now have trouble finding anyone to put the ball in the hole. And while the Nets try to compensate for this by playing at one of the league’s slowest paces to shorten games, they still have trouble holding onto the ball, ranking 27th in turnover ratio.
Despite everything I’ve said, the Nets are still locked in a virtual tie in the standings with the Charlotte Hornets, which might make this seem like a game where Brooklyn could end its losing streak. However, Charlotte has been playing relatively well as of late, winning four of its last seven games overall.
The Hornets have had their own injury issues. Most notably, LaMelo Ball (28.2 ppg) has only played in 31 games this season, and is listed as out for tonight’s game as well with an ankle injury. But even with the loss of Ball and Brandon Miller (21.0 ppg) to a wrist injury, Charlotte is in much better shape overall.
The Hornets have gotten reinforcements in the form of forward Josh Okogie, who scored 19 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, and have a capable primary scoring option in Miles Bridges (18.9 ppg). Charlotte is also a reasonably solid team defensively, and “reasonably solid” is more than enough to hold down the Nets.
This will be a low-scoring game as both teams struggle to find consistent scoring threats, but Charlotte has the far better options and the stronger roster overall. I’m taking the Hornets to cover at home.
Nets vs Hornets same-game parlay
Hornets -2.5
Under 205.5
Miles Bridges Over 7.5 rebounds
I like the Hornets to cover tonight thanks to the woeful Brooklyn offense, but that doesn’t mean I expect Charlotte to score much, either. The Nets have hit the Under in four straight games, failing to score 100 points each time, but the Hornets have hit the Under in four of five as well, and will struggle somewhat offensively without Ball in the lineup. Even with a minuscule total, I still like the Under.
With few points to spread around, I’m staying away from point totals. But given how poorly Brooklyn has been shooting, I expect plenty of rebounds to be available for the Hornets. I’m going to take Miles Bridges to grab Over 7.5 boards tonight, as he’s the leading rebounder for Charlotte and should go well above his season average of 7.3 rebounds per game.
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Nets vs Hornets odds
Nets vs Hornets live odds
Nets vs Hornets opening odds
- Spread: Brooklyn +2.5 (-110) | Charlotte -2.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Brooklyn +120 | Charlotte -140
- Over/Under: Over 205.5 (-110) | Under 205.5 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Nets vs Hornets spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Hornets are 22-19-2 against the spread this season, while the Nets have gone an even 23-23-1 ATS on the year.
- Brooklyn won the first meeting between these teams this season 116-115, though Charlotte covered the spread as a 1.5-point underdog.
- The Under has the edge when both teams play, going 25-22 in Nets games and 26-16-1 when the Hornets have played this season.
- Charlotte is playing to an average total of 219.7 ppg this year, with Brooklyn averaging a total of 218.8 ppg.
Nets vs Hornets trend
The Nets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Hornets.
How to watch Nets vs Hornets
| Location | Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Date | Wednesday, 1-29-2025 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | YES, FDSN Southeast-Charlotte |
Nets vs Hornets latest injuries
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