We are so back. The dog days of the NBA season are behind us, and now commences an electric 30-game race to the playoffs. Starting us off is the Houston Rockets (33-20) traveling to the Spectrum Center to take on the Charlotte Hornets (26-29).
Rockets vs. Hornets tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday from Charlotte, NC., live on NBA League Pass.
Below, we’ll break down our Rockets vs. Hornets prediction and spread for PrizePicks. Use PrizePicks NBA to make picks on player projections and win real money if you’re right.
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Rockets vs. Hornets Prediction, Spread
The Houston Rockets are 33-20 and currently occupy the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games and have won four straight on the road. Their point differential (+5.0) is the third-best in the conference, proving their legitimacy, and they are certainly on the list of legitimate title contenders this season.
Only three games separate the third seed from the seventh in the West, so every single game will carry massive seeding implications in what is a congested Western Conference playoff race.
It remains to be seen if momentum carries over the All-Star break, but if it does, the Charlotte Hornets are the hottest team in the NBA. They won 10 of their last 11 games heading into the break and climbed from the 12-seed in the East up to the ninth, and firmly in the Play-In Tournament picture.
They have a +1.9 point differential, which is better than many teams currently in the NBA playoff picture, including the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Rockets vs. Hornets Over/Under, Spread
The Rockets enter Wednesday’s game as 4.5-point road favorites, returning a 1.51x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Hornets are home underdogs with a 2.38x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Houston Rockets -4.5 (1.81x payout)
- Over/Under: 217.5 (1.96x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Rockets 1.51x | Hornets 2.38x
Team Picks payouts are live as of publishing and are subject to change.
Rockets vs. Hornets Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Rockets vs. Hornets injury report for Wednesday, via NBA.com.
Rockets Injury Report
- C Steven Adams (ankle): OUT
- PG Fred VanVleet (ACL): OUT
Hornets Injury Report
- SF Miles Bridges (league suspension): OUT
- C Moussa Diabate (league suspension): OUT
- SG Liam McNeeley (ankle): OUT
- SG Coby White (calf): OUT
Rockets vs. Hornets Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to help you make your Rockets vs. Hornets prediction on the spread today.
- The Hornets are 32-23-0 (58.2%) against the spread (ATS) this season, the second-best record in the NBA.
- The Rockets are 23-30-0 (43.4%) ATS, the sixth-worst record in the NBA.
- Over their last 15 games, Charlotte has the fifth-best net rating in the Association (+8.5), 7.2 better than Houston (+1.3) over that timespan.
- The most notable difference between these two teams over the last 15 games has been on offense. Charlotte ranks second in the NBA with an offensive rating of 118.5, while Houston checks in at 25th with an offensive rating of 111.4.
Rockets vs. Hornets NBA Picks, Stats for PrizePicks Today
Here are two of the top Rockets vs. Hornets picks to consider for PrizePicks today. Player projections via the PrizePicks real-money NBA game.
Rockets SF Kevin Durant vs. Hornets Projection: 33.5 Pts+Reb+Asts
- K.D. is averaging 35.5 points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) this season. On the road, that number increases to 36.6 PRA.
- The reason for this increase is that Durant is shooting 6.5% better from the field and 9.1% better from deep, leading to him averaging 2.3 more points per game away from home.
- The Hornets defense is allowing opponents to shoot 47.2% from the field (19th) and 36.5% from 3-point range (22nd).
- In K.D.'s only outing against Charlotte this year, he put up 31-3-1 for 35 PRA, almost clearing this PRA projection on points alone.
Hornets SG Kon Knueppel vs. Rockets Projection: 28.5 Pts+Reb+Asts
- The Rockets’ defense has been stifling this year, giving up the fourth-fewest points per game at just 109.6.
- This year’s 3-point contest favorite, Kon Knueppel, obviously does a lot of his scoring from deep this season. The Rockets' defense allows the fourth-fewest 3-point attempts per game (35.1), and opponents shoot just 34.9% from deep against them, the seventh-lowest percentage in the league.
- Additionally, the Rockets only give up 39.8 rebounds (second) and 24.5 assists (second) per game this season.
- Knueppel is averaging 4.5 fewer points per game at home this season, largely due to shooting 7.8% worse from the field and 9.6% worse from three at the Spectrum Center.
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Make Rockets vs. Hornets NBA Picks on PrizePicks
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