Charlotte Hornets are currently sitting at the 7th spot in the East, with an overall record of 28-30 and a 2-3 record in their last 5 games. Looking at those 5 games, Hornets have lost to Dallas Mavericks (99:93), Indiana Pacers (99:90), Orlando Magic (127:89), while they have managed to defeat Atlanta Hawks (120:129) and Washington Wizards (127:89) in their most recent match. Their 2-3 record does not look that good, but their win against Wizards was impressive nonetheless.

Despite what it might seem at first glance, Charlotte Hornets have a poor offence. Kind of Ironic to say that after a 127 point game today, but if we take a closer look, Hornets only manage to score a lot of points against teams that are... well terrible in the defence. As soon as they face a team that is at least half-decent in defending their basket, even reaching 100 points becomes a struggle.

The visiting side, Brooklyn Nets are coming into this match after a 99:113 defeat against Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, which marked their 30th defeat of the season. As of now, Brooklyn Nets are 6th in the East with a 30-30 record. Looking at their last 5 games, they have won against Denver Nuggets (135:130) and Cleveland Cavaliers (139:148)(OT), meanwhile the Nets lost to Chicago Bulls (106:125), Toronto Raptors (127:125) and as mentioned Portland Trail Blazers (99:113). My problem with Nets is that they are very inconsistent. One day they perform quite decently, only to disappoint the next day. And while I don't like their inconsistency, there is one bright spot in their performances. And that is their defence. I know it may not seem like it for some, but the statistics don't lie. Brooklyn Nets are slowly climbing the NBA ranks with their improved defence, which will be a huge advantage heading into this match.

Charlotte Hornets will come into this match with a full squad, while Brooklyn Nets will miss Dinwiddie due to an injured thumb.

So we have a team that struggles against the strong defence on one side and a team that has improved their defence on the other side. You might have guessed where we are heading with this prediction, but let's take a closer look at the match.

Nets, with their improved defence, are in my eyes in a great position to defeat Hornets and avenge the defeat they suffered against Charlotte at the end of December, and while I believe they can do it, I am not saying it will be easy. With big players at their disposal, Nets are expected to stop most of the Hornets attempts inside the pain, which might prove to be a problem for Hornets. In the end, the home side will need to settle for more shots from behind the arc, where they are... not too good (35.1%). And even then, Brooklyn are quite good when it comes to defending the perimeter. While we are on a topic of mediocre offence, Nets are the right team to fall into that cathegory. Much like their inconsistent performances, their offence is just as inconsistent, which is why I believe they won't be able to get any easy points tonight. Taking all into consideration the odds on Under 226.5 are just too good to pass on.

Prediction: Under 226.5