WE look to kick off another week of NBA betting on the right foot despite a small slate of games on deck.
Here’s today’s best value play for punters:
Charlotte Hornets @ Atlanta Hawks
THE Charlotte Hornets head to Atlanta as they look to snap a three-game skid with in this divisional matchup.
Charlotte has had one of the leagues top offences this season and has really stepped things up over the last fortnight, scoring effectively and at a highly efficient rate.
They will however be without a host of players due to COVID protocols, with the likes of LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Jalen McDaniels and Mason Plumlee all ruled out for this one.
Of those listed, it’s the obvious absence of backcourt duo Ball and Rozier that is a big problem given the lack of playmaking that remains on the roster.
Although a small sample size, minutes without Ball and Rozier on court have been high-scoring affairs at both ends of the floor. The Hornets are giving up 117 points per 100 possessions and scoring 114 with a net rating of -3.0. These small ball lineups have been effective in spacing the floor and creating looks from beyond the arc, but unsurprisingly they struggle scoring at the rim, which is unlikely to change when Clint Capella is lined up to prevent them finding easy buckets inside.
Atlanta rate as top-5 offence and have improved significantly over the last fortnight as they continue to push forward by overcoming a horrible early season schedule.
The hosts will be sweating on the availability of Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish in this one, while Bogdan Bogdanovic and Deandre Hunter remain out.
The biggest advantage Atlanta have in this one is the depth of their roster. Even without key players they have quality personal on a deep bench rotation – assuming we get at least a couple of those gamete decisions swing in their favour.
We should see big outputs at both ends from Capella and John Collins given the size advantage they hold over the short-handed Hornets.
Early indications suggest we could see Young available and if that’s the case we will be locking in a favourable number against such a depleted Charlotte team.
Our best bet: Atlanta Hawks -6.5 $1.92 at PlayUp
