The Charlotte Hornets (10-7) welcome the Golden State Warriors (19-0) in a matchup that pits the top-ranked offense against the fifth-ranked defense. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Dec. 2 and will air on GS2 and FxS.
The Hornets were victorious over the Bucks 87-82 on Sunday. Kemba Walker led all scorers on the team with 22 points on 7-for-13 shooting. The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-103 win over the Jazz on Monday. Stephen Curry led the game in scoring with 26 points on 9-for-20 shooting.
Over the last five games, Walker has really been playing well for the Hornets. During that stretch, he has averaged 23.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength, as the high-powered offense of Charlotte (fifth in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 104.9) takes on the top-notch defense of Golden State (fifth in the league with a defensive efficiency of 97.7).
The Over/Under (O/U) for this game is set at 210 points and the Hornets are a heavy 10-point underdog. The Hornets enter the game with records of 10-7 Straight Up (SU) and 9-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have the same record SU and ATS against the Western Conference, going 4-1. The Hornets have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire league, averaging 105.7 points per game. The Hornets, sporting the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.79), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team.
On the other side, the Warriors head into the game with records of 12-6-1 ATS and 19-0 SU. Golden State is the top shooting team in the league, converting .491 of its shots from the floor. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Warriors, who average a league-leading 29.4 assists per game. A large part of Golden State’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 19.1 points per game off turnovers, which ranks fourth in the league.
The Hornets and the Warriors will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Warriors were winners, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. The Hornets hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS, O/U – Over
Notes
Charlotte is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Charlotte’s last 14 games at home.
Charlotte is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Charlotte’s last 19 games when playing Golden State.
Charlotte is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Golden State.
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Golden State’s last 19 games when playing Charlotte.
Golden State is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Charlotte.
Charlotte scores an average of 102.5 points per game (ranked sixth). Golden State ranks 14th in points allowed per game with 100.0.
On average, Charlotte puts up 105.7 points per home game (ranked fifth). Golden State ranks 23rd in points allowed per road game with 105.2.
In its last game, Golden State won by a margin of three points. Charlotte is 1-2 in games decided by three points or less. Golden State has a 1-0 record in close games.
Charlotte has a 3-4 record when the team allows at least 100 points. Golden State is a perfect 19-0 when it reaches the century mark.
Charlotte’s offense and Golden State’s defense both rank fifth this season. Charlotte has an offensive rating of 104.9 and Golden State has a defensive rating of 97.7.
With 97.7 possessions and 1.049 points per possession, the Charlotte Hornets perform worse on both metrics than the Golden State Warriors. Golden State averages 101.1 possessions and 1.140 points per possession.
The Charlotte Hornets have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with an EFF% of 50.6%. The Golden State Warriors are undefeated with a 6-0 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher EFF%.
The Golden State Warriors top the league in assist to turnover ratio this season with an A/TO of 1.85. The Charlotte Hornets are also among the best (ranked second) with an A/TO of 1.79.
The Hornets rank 22nd in rebounds per game with 43.3, while the Warriors rank seventh with 46.0 per game.
Charlotte is ranked sixth in defensive rebounds, while Golden State ranks 12th in offensive rebounds.
The Hornets’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 14.3% this season. The Golden State Warriors are undefeated this season (12-0) when their TOV% is 14.3% or higher.
