What: Charlotte Hornets (11-30) (7-14 home) vs New Orleans Pelicans (12-33) (4-17 away)
When: 7:00pm Eastern
Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
Outfitting: Hornets–City (mint), Pelicans–Association (white)
Game Lines: Hornets +3.5, Hornets money line +135, O/U 227.5
The Pelicans have had a weird season. They were supposed to at least be battling for a playoff spot, but in a shocking turn of events, their roster full of frequently injured players struggled to stay healthy. The lack of consistent lineups created a team that was second worst in the league in both offensive and defensive ratings through the end of the calendar year. They lost on New Years Day to fall to 5-29. The Pelicans don’t get talked about much regardless of how they’re playing, so I don’t think many people realized just how atrocious they were through the first 40% of the season.
But something has happened since the calendars turned to 2025. CJ McCollum dropped 50 in a win over the Wizards on January 3rd, and the Pelicans are 7-3 since that game. I can’t really tell you why. Brandon Ingram hasn’t returned after getting hurt in early December. Zion Williamson made a cameo for four games after the new year. They’ve just suddenly been better. It might just be the schedule given that their wins over Washington (twice), Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, and Utah (twice).
CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy II are the main danger men. One of those two has led the Pelicans in scoring in all but one game during this good stretch of play. McCollum has been hot from deep while Murphy has started to figure out how to get to the free throw line. Dejounte Murray is there too but he’s still not hitting the same as he did in San Antonio.
If the Hornets throw out the same lineup they did last night against the Blazers, we’ll probably see a similar game. While the Pelicans have been pretty good lately, this is still a game between two teams that deep down in their current state really aren’t any good.
