Hornets vs. Jazz Preview: Odds, Lines, Predictions

The Charlotte Hornets are rounding out their five-game home stand against the Utah Jazz on Friday, March 25. The Swarm have been playing at home for nearly 10 days and have won three of the first four home tilts. This Utah squad, however, will be the toughest opponent of the home stand.

With a record of 45-28, the Jazz are leading the Northwest Division. They are in the midst of a massive six-game road trip in which they have dropped their last two games to the Nets and Celtics. In a battle of two of the top-10 offenses in the league, this one is sure to be a high-scoring affair.

Keys to the Game

Keep the Jazz off the boards. The Hornets are not a bad rebounding team. Ranking 12th in the NBA at 44.8 boards per game, Charlotte’s weakness is not its rebounding. On the other hand, Utah is third in the league in rebounding at 46.3 rebounds per game. They have Rudy Gobert, the league-leader in rebounds per game, and they hold opponents to the lowest rebound rate in the association at 41.7 rebounds per game. Cleaning the glass has to be key if the Swarm want to pull off the upset in this one.

Play some defense, maybe? The Hornets have been giving up points in spades recently. In their last nine games, the Swarm have given 115.3 points per game. That is not going to get it done against one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. The Jazz like to shoot the three. They have the second-most attempts per game from deep, and they own the highest three-point attempt rate in the league. With 47% of their shots coming from distance, the Jazz can score quickly. The Hornets need to contest all those three-point attempts without fouling. If they can do that, it becomes a much easier time defending Utah’s high-powered offense.

Odds and Moneyline provided by BetUS 

Point spread: Hornets +4

Money line: Jazz -165 / Hornets +145

Over-under: 228.5

The Hornets are underdogs coming into this matchup. That makes sense; the Jazz are one of the best teams in the league. However, Utah is also in the middle of a massive road trip. The Hornets could cover that point spread in a back-and-forth game. The over is absolutely the play. With how much these teams like to shoot and run up and down the court, the over looks quite promising.

Final Prediction

Gobert finishes with a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double, and the Jazz secure a tight victory over the Swarm, 118-116. LaMelo Ball continues to play well, but Terry Rozier and Donovan Mitchell steal the show with 30-point performances coming from both.