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Rockets vs. Hornets NBA expert prediction and odds for Friday, Jan. 26

By Reed Wallach

Jan 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) dunks
Jan 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) dunks / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
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The Hornets host the Rockets in Friday night NBA action in the Charlotte.

The Hornets are hoping to build on No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller's fine play by turning in some wins with the Rockets in town on Friday night. Houston has struggled quite a bit on the road relative to its home play, can that give us some betting value on the Hornets?

Here's our betting preview for Friday's matchup:

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Rockets vs. Hornets odds, spread and total

Hornets vs. Rockets betting trends

  • The Rockets are 2-8 against the spread (ATS) in the last 10 games
  • The Hornets are 15-25-2 ATS this season
  • The Rockets are 6-12-1 ATS on the road this season

Rockets vs. Hornets Injury Reports

Rockets Injury Report

  • Jae'Sean Tate - questionable
  • Tari Eason - OUT
  • Victor Oladipo - OUT
  • Reggie Bullock - OUT

Hornets Injury Report

  • No injures listed

Rockets vs. Hornets How to Watch

  • Date: Friday, January 26th
  • Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
  • Venue: Spectrum Center
  • How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports Southeast
  • Rockets Record: 20-23
  • Hornets Record: 10-32

Rockets vs. Hornets Key Players to Watch

Rockets

Alperen Sengun: Sengun is a candidate for Most Improved Player and he's showing why of late especially, scoring 37, 24, and 30 points over the last three games while averaging 12 rebounds and eight assists. He is also putting up insanely efficient marks, 59% shooting with 40% shooting from three. He'll give a weak frontcourt of the Hornets fits with his complete play.

Hornets

Brandon Miller: Is it starting to click for Miller? He has scored 20 or more in four straight games while posting 57/45/86 shooting splits and grabbing more than six rebounds per game. The Hornets have split the four games, so the rookie is also impacting wins and losses. Can the team pull a home upset with him in good form?

Rockets vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick

The Rockets have been a brutal road team all season, posting a -7.4 net rating away from home all season, which includes a 4-15 record overall. Now, the Hornets are one of the league's worst teams, but I can't trust Houston laying more than a couple of buckets to win on the road.

Both offenses have struggled for most of the season, but zoom into January and you'll see that the Rockets are very similar to the Hornets, posting an effective field goal percentage of 52%, which slightly outpaces Charlotte's 51.3%.

The Hornets have been picking up its play of late with Miller starting to emerge as a consistent threat to pour in buckets, I'm going to ride with the team in better shape over the last handful of games and take Charlotte to cover the big number as home underdogs.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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