Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks: Odds, Injury Report, Prediction

The Charlotte Hornets are back in action as they welcome the New York Knicks to town for a Friday night matchup, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m.

Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks: Odds and Moneyline (FanDuel)

Point spread: Knicks -3.5

Money line: Knicks -168 / Hornets +142

Over/under: 224

Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks: Injury Report

Hornets: LaMelo Ball (left ankle sprain), Dennis Smith Jr. (left ankle sprain), Cody Martin (left knee procedure), Gordon Hayward (left shoulder – scapula fracture), and Mark Williams (left ankle sprain) are OUT.

Knicks: Obi Toppin (knee) and Ryan Arcidiacano (ankle) are OUT.

Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks: Key Statistic

Points in the paint

Tonight’s matchup features two of the best teams in the league in terms of points in the paint, as Charlotte (49.7%) and New York (49.2%) rank second and third in the NBA in percentage of total points coming in the paint, respectively.

Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks: Key Matchup

P.J. Washington vs. Julius Randle

P.J. Washington has had an inconsistent season so far but did play well in the first meeting between these two teams, posting 17 points and 5 rebounds in Charlotte’s 134-131 overtime loss in New York in October. Revenge may be on Washington’s mind tonight, as the lasting image from that matchup was his foot barely touching the three-point arc on what appeared to be a game-tying shot with eight seconds remaining in overtime. Instead of tying the game, Washington’s shot left the Hornets trailing by one and needing to foul to stop the clock. The Knicks would go on to make both free throws and would escape with the victory.

Julius Randle has had a bit of a resurgence this season after an underwhelming season a year ago, posting averages of 21.6 points and 8.8 rebounds on 46.4% shooting. Randle is coming off of a 34 point, 17 rebound performance in New York’s 113-89 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. The 34 points is tied for Randle’s second-most in a game this season, while the 17 rebounds his new season high.

Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks: Prediction

The Hornets have dropped three straight games by a total of 17 points, coming up short in clutch time against the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Brooklyn Nets.

Meanwhile, the Knicks have won consecutive games over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks and have held both opponents to new season lows in points in each game.

While New York is the better team on paper and certainly has a cleaner bill of health at the moment, Charlotte will ride their home crowd and the recent scoring surges of Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr. to a victory on their home floor.

What is next for the Charlotte Hornets?

Sunday, December 11th – at Philadelphia 76ers (6:00 p.m. ET)

Note: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.