Does the ESPN BPI think the Hornets will take down the Trail Blazers?

The Hornets aim to get back above .500 since the All-Star break.

Jan 24, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. (8) drives on Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) during the second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The Hornets (14-40) continue on the West Coast road trip on Saturday, this time headed to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers (23-33.) The Trail Blazers won the only prior matchup this season by a score of 102-97. Anfernee Simons led the scoring on both sides of that one with 27 points on 16 shots, while Nick Smith led the Hornets in scoring with 17 points.

What the BPI says

According to the ESPN Basketball Power Index (BPI) matchup predictor, the Hornets have a 35.5% chance of coming away with a victory in tonight’s matchup. Considering the Hornets roster is relatively healthy with LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams both expected to suit up and the Trail Blazers having lost four straight games coming into the matchup, it may come as a bit of a surprise that the Hornets do not have a higher expected chance of winning.

Charlotte's recent games

The Hornets are just 2-7 in February, in large part due to a rash of injuries with a sprinkling of strange trade circumstances. Since the All-Star break, the Hornets are 1-1 with a close and hard-fought win over the Lakers, and then more recently a 129-115 defeat in Denver at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the red-hot Nuggets. 

Portland's recent games

Portland comes into this matchup having lost four in a row, though all four were to playoff-bound teams in the Western Conference. The second-youngest roster in the NBA is actually 12-12 in the new calendar year, absolutely not an easy feat in the Western Conference all things considered. The team has seen three different leading scorers, rebounders, and assisters respectively over the last four games, a testament to the horizontal output effort that has shaped the current version of the Blazers. 

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