Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic Prediction, 12/17/2020 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic

Date: Thursday, December 17, 2020

Location: Amway Center in Orlando, FL

TV: NBA League Pass

Odds/Point Spread: Charlotte (+3.5)

Amway Center is the venue where and the Orlando Magic (33-40 last year) will take on the Charlotte Hornets (23-42 last season) on Thursday. Charlotte opens this matchup as 3.5-point dogs. The O/U has been set at 220.

Charlotte will play this contest after finishing with a win-loss mark of 23-42 last season. The Hornets shot 35.2% on 3-point shots (785 of 2,231) and 74.8% from the charity stripe. They had an average of 102.9 pts per game (30th in basketball) while hitting 43.4% from the field. They turned it over 14.6 times per game and as a group committed 18.8 fouls per game. As a group, Charlotte snagged 42.8 rebounds per game and tallied 1,549 assists throughout last season, which had them ranked 25th in basketball in terms of passing. Defensively, the Hornets were able to force their opponents into 14.4 turnovers per contest and they drew 20.6 fouls. They were 17th in the league in giving up assists with 1,732 conceded throughout last season. The Hornets allowed a field goal percentage of 47.6% (2,708 of 5,690) and they surrendered 46.0 rebounds per contest as a group. They gave up 35.2% on shots from downtown and they ranked 12th in the league in PPG allowed (109.6).

The Charlotte Hornets faced the Toronto Raptors and took a loss by a score of 112-109 in their last preseason contest. Charlotte walked away from the contest having earned a 45.7% FG percentage (37 of 81) and converted 12 of their 36 three-point shots. At the free throw line, the Hornets made 23 of their 32 tries for a percentage of 71.9%. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected 38 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 33 assists for this game as well as having 6 steals and 6 rejections. Concerning defending, Charlotte allowed the other team to go 47.6% from the floor on 40 of 84. Toronto recorded 23 assists and 13 steals in this matchup. Additionally, the Raptors snagged 37 rebounds (7 offensive, 30 defensive) and earned 3 blocks. Toronto ended up shooting 73.9% when shooting free throws by knocking down 17 of their 23 attempts. They buried 15 of their 44 shots from beyond the arc.

Orlando had a record of 33-40 last year. Orlando scored 7,831 pts throughout last season (107.3 per game) and they collected 44.5 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Magic hit 44.4% from the field, which ranked 27th in basketball. The Magic committed 18.3 fouls per game and they shot 77.4% from the free throw line. They assisted teammates 23.9 times per contest (18th in basketball) and they lost possession via turnover 12.8 times per contest. The Magic on the defensive end were ranked 5th in basketball in points allowed per contest with 108.3. The Orlando defense conceded 36.4% on 3-point shots (893 of 2,453) and their opposition made 77.1% of their foul shots. They forced 14.6 TO's per game and allowed teams to shoot 46.5% from the field (18th in the NBA). They surrendered 24.7 dimes and 44.9 boards every game, which ranked them 17th and 15th in those defensive categories.

When they last stepped on the court in the preseason, the Orlando Magic took a loss by a final score of 116-107 against the Atlanta Hawks. The Magic pulled down 43 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards for a total of 52 in this game. They rejected 5 shots while recording 10 steals in the game. The Hawks earned 13 fouls in the game which got the Magic to the free throw line for 21 shots. They were able to make 14 of them for a rate of 66.7%. In regard to shooting from 3-point land, Orlando converted 11 out of 36 tries (30.6%). When this game wrapped up, the Magic walked away from this one shooting 41 out of 102 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.2%. The Magic permitted the Hawks to knock down 38 out of their 89 tries from the floor which had them at 42.7% for this contest. They finished 39.5% from three-point range by shooting 17 out of 43 and finished the contest at 23 of 34 from the free throw line (67.6%). Regarding team rebounding, Orlando allowed Atlanta to snag 61 in total (12 on the offensive glass).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Charlotte (+3.5)

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