Spread & Over/Under Predictions: Hornets at Knicks

Picks for today's Hornets game in New York.

Each game day, we at All Hornets will release an article on our thoughts on the spread and the over/under of Charlotte Hornets games. The star ratings next to the play describe the overall confidence in that particular play.

Star ratings:

1 Star - Not very confident

2 Star - A little confident

3 Star - Fairly confident

4 Star - Very confident

5 Star - Should be a lock to happen

Spread: Knicks -10.5

3 Star play on the Hornets (+10.5): I'm a bit surprised at how favored the Knicks are. The Hornets would not be my pick straight up, but 10.5 points is enough to provide some comfort. The biggest obstacle for Charlotte is the efficiency on the glass that the Knicks show behind the power of their front court. The window to excel for the Hornets is New York's league-worst 41.5% field goal percentage and 28th-ranked 72.4% free-throw percentage. Simply put, New York excels with grit and aggression, but do not score consistently enough to close out teams who can.

Over/Under: 224.5

2 Star play on the under: The Knicks have played in some of the lowest total games in the league this season due to their play-style, while the Hornets have played in only a single game that has not hit the 224.5 line. The games where the Knicks have seen their highest scoring efforts in games where teams cannot match their effort on the boards, which is an area where the Hornets are relatively competent rankings eighth in the league at 46.6 rebounds per game. The under looks alright here, but the volatility of both teams makes it hard to trust.

My picks this season

ATS: 1-0 (100%)

O/U: 1-0 (100%)

Overall: 2-0 (100%)