Charlotte Hornets at Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers -6

Over/Under 225.5

  • While Philadelphia is just two games over .500, and just .5 a game ahead of Charlotte in the standings, they are an impressive 6-0 at home.

  • One of those six home wins was against this same Hornets team, 105-103 on October 27.

  • Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 37 points on 31 shots, including 3-15 shooting in the second of back-to-back games for Charlotte.

  • Walker is second in the NBA in scoring this season at 28.1 points per game.

  • Walker and Nicolas Batum are the only players averaging more than 25 minutes per game for Charlotte this season.

  • Tony Parker and Wilson Chandler did not play in the first meeting between these two teams, but both are expected to play Friday. Chandler has played a season-high 14 minutes Wednesday against Indiana.

  • The leap that many expected from Ben Simmons in his second season has not materialized. While he does have nine double-doubles and two triple-doubles through 11 games, his points, assists, field goal percentage, blocks and assist-to-turnover ratio are all down from his rookie season.

  • Simmons was much better at taking care of the ball Wednesday against Indiana, as it was his first game this season with fewer than two turnovers.

Pre-Game Props

1. The last made shot of the 1st Quarter is a 3 pointer (We'll leave this open until the 1:00 mark) ( 4.6x YES / 1.6x NO)

NO. This might depend a bit on who is still in the game at the end of the first quarter. I would lean towards No if Ben Simmons and/or Markelle Fultz are on the floor, but Yes looks much better when J.J. Redick, Robert Covington or Landry Shamet are in the game. Similarly, Kemba Walker and Mailk Monk lead Charlotte by far, and they are much less likely to make a three when those two sit. That being said, 21.0 percent of Charlotte’s made shots have been threes this season, compared to 18.2 percent for Philadelphia. Without knowing who will be in the game towards the end of the quarter, I’m leaning towards No.

2. Any CHA player scores 9 or more points in the 1st Quarter (3.5x YES / 2x NO)

NO. No Hornets player is averaging more than 13.4 ppg, and even Kemba Walker is averaging 7.0 points per quarter. Philadelphia is 19th in the NBA in points allowed to opponents, and while Walker is certainly capable of reaching nine points in the first quarter, it’s not that likely.

3. Both teams combine for 3 or more blocks in the 1st Quarter (2.6x YES / 2.4x NO)

YES. Only the Heat and Bulls have allowed more blocks to opponents than the Hornets, who are at 6.8 per game. Philadelphia is getting blocked 5.7 times per game. The Hornets are also third in blocks defensively at 6.5 per game, with Philadelphia not far behind at 5.8. Based on those numbers, I would expect about 3.1 blocks per quarter, so I’m going to say Yes.

4. Either team's first made FG of the 1st Quarter is a 3 pointer (3.6x YES / 1.9x NO)

NO. This is a bit different from the first question, because it does not include free throws, and we really only need to consider these teams’ starting lineups. In 59 minutes on the court together Philadelphia’s starting lineup of Joel Embiid , Covington, Simmons, Redick and Fultz has made 52 field goals and just six threes (11.5 percent). Charlotte’s starting lineup of Walker, Jeremy Lamb , Batum, Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller has played 144 minutes together, and 31.4 percent of their field goals have been threes. Philadelphia’s starters will probably start making more threes at some point, but I doubt it happens on the first make of the game.

5. Either team commits a turnover by the 11:00 mark (3.0x YES / 2.0x NO)

NO. Charlotte’s starting lineup has 40 turnovers in 144 minutes, while Philadelphia’s starting lineup has 19 turnovers in 59 minutes. Those turnover rates are not nearly high enough for me to say Yes.

6. CHA wins the opening tip-off (3.5x YES / 2.0x NO) 

NO. Philadelphia won the opening tip in their first meeting of the season. I was shocked to learn Joel Embiid and Cody Zeller are the same height, but I certainly don’t expect Zeller to out jump Embiid this time around, either.