NBA Predictions: Will Hornets ease to win over Mavericks? 1/10/18

Mavericks vs. Hornets Pick

Are the host Charlotte Hornets going to be able to cover as favorites tonight against the Dallas Mavericks? Tip-off is at 7PM ET.

Who Oddsmakers Like: Charlotte. According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Hornets are listed as a 7.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 210 points. Charlotte opened as a 6-point fave, while the total has dropped slightly from 211.

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Who the Public Likes: Charlotte. As of Wednesday afternoon, 79 percent of public bets have been placed on the Hornets.

Injury Report: Dorian Finney-Smith is out indefinitely for the Mavericks with lingering tendinitis in his quadriceps. Nerlens Noel is out until early February after thumb surgery. Seth Curry does not have a timetable for his return from a stress reaction in his leg. For the Hornets, center Cody Zeller is out a couple more weeks at least after knee surgery in December. 

Who the Trends Like: Dallas is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 meetings in Charlotte. The under is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Charlotte. The Hornets are 0-5 ATS in their last five games playing on three or more days of rest.

Who We Like: Dallas is on a back-to-back, but this spread still seems a bit wide. Charlotte is only 10-10 at home this season and have yet to put together a really hot stretch even now that it is a fully healthy team aside from a role player in Zeller. While the Hornets are actually playing their best basketball of the season right now with wins in four of their last six and a 3-1 West Coast trip, it is an inconsistent enough team that returning home with a dud seems a real possibility. The Mavs have had good success in Charlotte and I'm rolling with the underdogs.

NBA DAILY PREDICTION: DALLAS MAVERICKS +7.5

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