Things are going from bad to worse for the Brooklyn Nets as they crashed to their ninth consecutive defeat with a gut-wrenching 103-95 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. The Nets had no answer for Kyle Lowry who recorded yet another triple-double, scoring 15 points, dishing out 11 assists and grabbing 11 rebounds. The Nets have now dropped 20 of their last 21 games.
The Nets will look to end their losing rut when they lock horns with the Charlotte Hornets this coming Tuesday. For Brooklyn to pull off the shock win, it needs to improve on its play on the defensive end. The Nets are dead-last in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing a whopping 114.2 points per game this season.
With regards to their offense, the Nets are expected to ride the hot hand of Brook Lopez. He scored a team-high 20 points in the loss to Toronto. Lopez is averaging 20.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this campaign. In three meetings with the Hornets this season, Lopez is averaging 21.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
The Nets are 3-2 ATS in their last five road games.
Another team that’s struggling at the moment is Charlotte. The Hornets are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, punctuated by a 105-98 defeat to the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. The Hornets are 0-7 since seeing a three-game winning streak snapped, and in those seven defeats the opponents have averaged 112.4 points. Their defensive ineptitude was in full display in the fourth quarter of their game against Utah where they allowed the Jazz to score a whopping 34 points.
That being said, The Hornets will fancy their chances of snapping their losing streak against the Nets as they have fared extremely well against Charlotte of late. The Hornets have won six of their last seven games against the Nets. Charlotte leads their season series with Brooklyn, 2-1. The Hornets eased past the Nets, 112-105, in their last meeting at Spectrum Center on January 21. Coincidentally, that was Charlotte’s last victory this season.
One guy who needs to step up for Charlotte this coming Tuesday is Kemba Walker. He scored 18 points in the loss to the Jazz. Walker is averaging 20.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in three meetings with the Nets this season.
The Hornets are 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Charlotte (-10.5) not only wins but also covers the spread against Brooklyn.
