On Wednesday, 03/01, the Charlotte Hornets (14-44) will host the Washington Wizards (10-48) in an Eastern Conference Regular-Season match-up. The Hornets have been suffering at the 14th position in the East, while the Wizards are somehow doing worse as the team with the worst record. Who will come on top in this battle against bottom-placed squads? Read about the preview, total predictions, and player props here.
Hornets: Rock-bottom and worse
The Charlotte Hornets will enter the affair after a 7-point loss against the Dallas Mavericks, as Mark Williams put together 26 points and 16 rebounds. It was their fifth straight loss, and they have lost 14 of their last 16 games. The Hornets’ offense was in tatters in February as they are the only team averaging below 100 points per game, shooting an abysmal 40.7%(last) from the field. The Hornets will need to make tough decisions in the offseason as their trajectory has only spiraled downward for many years.
Expected Starting Lineup
PG: LaMelo Ball | SG: Nick Smith Jr. | SF: Josh Green | SF/PF: Miles Bridges | C: Mark Williams
Injuries: No information thus far.
Wizards: Murky waters, but the draft will bring hope
The Wizards will come into this game after an 8-point loss against the Portland Trail Blazers, despite a 24-point performance by Jordan Poole. They have lost seven of their last eight games, a theme that has been common for them throughout the season. There are some youngsters with high potential in Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr, but the Wizards are still searching for their franchise face. They will hope landing the #1 pick in the 2025 Draft to land generational talent, Cooper Flagg.
Expected Starting Lineup
PG/SG: Jordan Poole | SG: Bilal Coulibaly | SF: Kyshawn George | SF: Khris Middleton | C: Richuan Holmes
Injuries: Alex Sarr, Saddiq Bey, and Malcolm Brogdon are OUT.
The Hornets have been terrible on the offensive end throughout the season, scoring 102 or fewer points in 8 of their last 9 games. Meanwhile, the Wizards are a better offensive team, having scored 119 or more six times in February. Defensively, the Hornets gave up just 103 in the last game but conceded 128 or more points in four straight games before that. But the Hornets may have a chance to have their best offensive outing in a while against a lax Wizards defense that regularly allows 120+ points. However, I don’t expect the total to go past 240 here but disagree with the bookmakers giving equal odds to a total of around 220. The score may get closer to 230 here.
Projected Predictions:
Mark Williams to grab more than 10 rebounds: Williams has clasped 10+ rebounds in two straight games, and I expect him to keep the rhythm going.
Miles Bridges to score over 23 points: The Hornets forward has stitched together 21.5 points per game in February, having scored 20 or more in most of the games. I expect him to get in the 24-27 points range.
Jordan Poole to score 25 points: The Wizards guard has tallied 22.3 PPG in February. He has been inconsistent as some of his 40+ points efforts have been followed by fewer than 20 points performances. However, I expect the isolation scorer to put together his third straight 23+ points outing here.
Richuan Holmes to score 12+ points: The Wizards center has put up 14 points per game in the last three games, I expect him to go over the 10-point mark here for the fourth straight game.
Both teams have struggled massively throughout the season, which makes it difficult to judge a favorite here. But recently, the Wizards have been performing much better than the Hornets, and I expect them to present a big challenge again. This one is tricky to predict, but the Wizards may eke out a rare road win here. The spread is likely to be in the 5-9 points range in their favor.
Spread: Wizards -1.5 for +170 at BetMGM
Photo Credit: Jim Dedmon- Imagn Images
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