Two teams with identical 29-31 records meet up early this Saturday when the Portland Trail Blazers roll into the Spectrum Center to take on the Charlotte Hornets. Despite their similar standings, these are two teams with different feels, as the Blazers are battling injuries and the Hornets just appear to get better every game.
Trail Blazers vs. Hornets tips off at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday from Charlotte, NC.
Below, we’ll break down our Trail Blazers vs. Hornets prediction and Saturday NBA picks for PrizePicks. Use PrizePicks NBA to make picks on player projections and win real money if you’re right.
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Trail Blazers vs. Hornets Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
The Trail Blazers are on game two of a five-game road trip, with this one potentially being the toughest on their body clock. This game starts at what is 10:00 a.m. in Portland, so perhaps that has an effect on them, at least early on.
Regardless, they have performed admirably despite some major injuries recently. Blossoming fourth-year G Shaedon Sharpe has been ruled out for 4-6 weeks with a stress reaction in his left fibula. He was really starting to come into his own, averaging a career-high 21.4 PPG.
First-time All-Star Deni Avdija has also been battling back injuries for almost two weeks and is currently listed as doubtful for today’s game. Avdija is in the midst of a breakthrough season, averaging a career-high 24.4 points and 6.6 assists to go along with 7 rebounds per game.
A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Hornets were "perhaps” the most exciting team in the NBA right now. Let's officially change that to “are." Led by a trio of young pieces who can each go for 30 on any given night, they have won 13 of their last 16 games. Perhaps the most thrilling of the bunch is rookie G-F Kon Knueppel.
Charlotte is coming off a 24-point win in Indiana that saw Knueppel break the rookie 3-point record with his 209th make of the season. It’s been a dominant year for the young wing out of Duke, who is currently the favorite to win this year’s Rookie of the Year award, returning a 1.58x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if he does so.
Trail Blazers vs. Hornets Spread, Over/Under
The Hornets enter Saturday’s game as 9.5-point home favorites, returning a 1.28x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Trail Blazers are road underdogs with a 3.33x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 34 states.
- Spread: Charlotte Hornets -9.5 (2.08x payout)
- Over/Under: 227.5 (1.88x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Trail Blazers 3.33x | Hornets 1.28x
Team Picks payouts are live as of publishing and are subject to change.
Trail Blazers vs. Hornets Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Trail Blazers vs. Hornets injury report for Saturday, via NBA.com.
Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report
- F Deni Avdija (Back): Doubtful
- C Donovan Clingan (Illness): Questionable
- SG Shaedon Sharpe (Fibula): OUT
Charlotte Hornets Injury Report
- No players listed
Trail Blazers vs. Hornets Prediction on Spread
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Trail Blazers vs. Hornets prediction on spread for Saturday, February 28th, on PrizePicks.
- Charlotte is 37-23-0 (61.7%) against the spread (ATS), the best cover percentage in the NBA.
- Despite having the 18th-ranked record, Charlotte has the league’s No. 10 net rating (+2.9).
- The Hornets also have the Eastern Conference’s fifth-best point differential (+2.8) despite having the 10th-best record.
- Over their last 10 games, the Hornets have the sixth-best net rating (+8.2), sandwiched between the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets. They also have a 9.3 differential in NET compared to the Blazers (-1.1) in that same time span.
Trail Blazers vs. Hornets Picks for PrizePicks Today: 2/28/26
Here are two of the top Trail Blazers vs. Hornets picks to consider for Saturday, February 28th. Today’s NBA picks for PrizePicks are headlined by G-F Kon Knueppel and SF Brandon Miller.
Hornets G-F Kon Knueppel vs. Trail Blazers Projection: 28.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Knueppel is averaging 28.2 points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) per game. He has been coming on especially strong as of late, though, seeing that number spike to 31.1 in February.
- He has had More than this projection in three of his last four games.
- Knueppel is averaging 0.7 more rebounds and 0.4 more assists per game at home.
- The Trail Blazers allow opponents to shoot 36.6% from 3-point range (19th) and are giving up 27 assists per game (18th).
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Hornets SF Brandon Miller vs. Trail Blazers Projection: 22.5 Points
- Brandon Miller is posting 24 PPG across his last seven games.
- The young forward takes 2.6 more shots and averages 1.7 more PPG at home this year.
- The Trail Blazers' defense has allowed the seventh-most PPG in the NBA (118.2), also possessing the 11th-worst defensive rating at 115.5.
- This is a sizable tempo-up game for the Hornets, who rank 23rd in pace in the league compared to the Trail Blazers, who rank seventh.
Make Trail Blazers vs. Hornets Picks on PrizePicks
Any day we get to watch the Hornets play basketball is a great day, in this writer's book. Trail Blazers vs. Hornets picks aren’t the only way hoops fans can get in on the daily NBA action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 34 states.
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