The Hawks have managed to stay in playoff contention without PG Trae Young for an extended period, and they'll travel to the Spectrum Center to take on the Hornets in an Eastern Conference matchup on Thursday.
Charlotte appears to be destined to have another losing season, and PG LaMelo Ball is still struggling to stay on the court due to ankle injuries. He’ll have a chance to return to the hardwood ahead of tip-off at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Below, we'll preview the game and break down a Hornets vs. Hawks prediction and picks on PrizePicks for today, including player projections for F Jalen Johnson and F-G Kon Knueppel.
Hornets vs. Hawks Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Atlanta is enduring a bit of a rough patch and is off to a 2-4 start in December. However, the Hawks are still 15-12 overall on the year and rank seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.
Charlotte is 12th in the East with an 8-18 record and managed to knock off Cleveland in overtime in its last outing to snap a two-game losing streak.
Johnson has transformed into a true star and will enter Thursday’s contest having recorded four consecutive triple-doubles. He’s reached new career highs in points (22.8), rebounds (10.5) and assists (8.2) per game.
Knueppel has also been surprisingly good and has a chance to challenge his former Duke teammate, Mavericks F Cooper Flagg, for Rookie of the Year. The sharpshooter is averaging 19.0 PPG while shooting 47.2% from the field and 40.5% from deep.
Ball (ankle) is questionable for Thursday while PF Grant Williams (knee), G Pat Connaughton (calf), G Tre Mann (knee) and G Collin Sexton (quad) are out for Charlotte. For Atlanta, Young is questionable and C-F Kristaps Porzingis (illness) is out.
Hornets vs. Hawks Over/Under, Spread
The Hawks are 4.5-point favorites, returning a 1.44x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Hornets will return a 2.56x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
- Spread: Atlanta Hawks -4.5
- Over/Under: 237.5
- Gamer Winner Payout: Hawks 1.44x | Hornets 2.56x
Team picks data is live as of publishing and is subject to change.
Hornets vs. Hawks Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to get you prepared for Hawks vs. Hornets today.
- The Hornets are 5-8 against the spread at home.
- The Hawks are 10-6 against the spread on the road.
- Atlanta is 5-3 against the spread as a road favorite.
- Atlanta has won each of its previous five matchups against Charlotte.
Hornets vs. Hawks NBA Picks, Stats for PrizePicks Today
Here are some of the top Hawks vs. Hornets picks on PrizePicks for today. Player projections are via the PrizePicks real-money NBA game.
Hawks F Jalen Johnson vs. Hornets Projection – 30.5 Pts + Asts
- Johnson is averaging 34.0 points and assists through five games in December.
- The Hawks' playmaker is creating 4.3 rim assists per 100 possessions, per databallr. That’s a 98th-percentile figure.
- Atlanta’s do-it-all F is generating 20.1 assists per 100 possessions, a 100th-percentile mark.
- The Hornets are giving up the third most assists (28.8) per game to opposing teams.
Hornets F-G Kon Knueppel vs. Hawks Projection – 23.5 Pts + Rebs
- The Hornets' rookie is averaging 25.6 combined points and rebounds through six games in December.
- The Duke product posts 28.3 points per 100 possessions without Ball on the floor, via Add More Funds.
- Knueppel hoists up 12.0 3-pointers per 100, per databallr, a 93rd-percentile figure.
- Charlotte’s third-leading scorer has a true shooting percentage of 62.0 or better both with and without Ball on the floor.
Make Hornets vs. Hawks Picks on PrizePicks
The Hawks and Hornets are looking to secure their second straight wins on Thursday. Jalen Johnson has a chance to record his fifth consecutive triple double, and LaMelo Ball could return from a three-game absence to give the home team a lift. Rookie sniper Kon Kneuppel could play a crucial role whether his PG suits up or not.
There are plenty of other options worth considering on PrizePicks. Just pick players, predict More or Less on at least two stat projections, then earn real-money rewards if you're right.
Stick around with the Playbook for continued NBA predictions, picks, and news.
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