The Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets meet in Charlotte, North Carolina Wednesday for their season openers. Tip-off from Spectrum Center is set for 7 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Nets vs. Hornets odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
2024-25 season series: Brooklyn won 3-1
Brooklyn spent the offseason retooling, drafting 3 guards in the 1st round and 2 forwards overall in the 2025 draft. The Nets also moved on from a key piece as they traded F Cam Johnson to Denver for a package that included F Michael Porter Jr. and a 1st-round pick in 2032. The Nets are clearly looking to rebuild, so look for a lot of players to see minutes in this matchup as they figure out who they like and who they don’t like.
Charlotte drafted Duke F Kon Knueppel with the 4th overall pick in the draft. The Hornets are hoping that the shooter will fit in perfectly as a spot-up guy alongside guards LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. They also brought in veteran leadership in the form of G Collin Sexton and G Pat Connaughton.
Last season, these squads split their 2 games in Charlotte, but key players like Ball and Miller missed both contests. The Under hit in both, while they also split covering the spread..
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Nets at Hornets odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:59 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Nets +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Hornets -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Nets +5.5 (-115) | Hornets -5.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 226.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Nets at Hornets key injuries
Nets
- F Haywood Highsmith (knee) out
Hornets
- G Josh Green (shoulder) out
- F Grant Williams (knee) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Nets at Hornets picks and predictions
Prediction
Hornets 107, Nets 94
PASS.
The Hornets (-200) are the much more talented team and should have no problem winning this opener against a bad Brooklyn Nets team (+165), but it’s now wise to bet -200 favorites. AVOID a ML play and bet on the spread and/or Over/Under.
BET HORNETS -5.5 (-105).
When healthy, Charlotte is a very talented offensive team with the guard duo of Ball and Miller and the added shooting potential of Knueppel. On the other side, Brooklyn has no one to trust to create offense consistently. This is a Brooklyn team that will be bad defensively, won’t have a consistent half-court offense and won’t shoot opponents out of the gym;.
Expect CHARLOTTE to win comfortably here.
LEAN UNDER 226.5 (-105).
Brooklyn and Charlotte were the worst scoring offenses in the NBA last season, both scoring just 105.1 points per game. While I expect both scoring averages to be better this season, neither of these teams improved enough to think their offenses will score much more than what we saw last season.
Charlotte was the best Under team n 2024-25 with an O/U record of 33-49, while Brooklyn was right behind at 38-44.
However, neither of these teams are good defensively and Charlotte has an offense that is capable of producing fireworks, so there is some risk with this wager.
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