Trail Blazers vs Hornets prediction NBA · Saturday, December 19
At a glance
The Charlotte Hornets (3-2) host the Portland Trail Blazers (3-0) on Saturday, December 19 at 6:00 PM ET at Spectrum Center in NBA action. The Basketlog model gives the Trail Blazers a 59% chance to win and projects a 113-110 score (Trail Blazers – Hornets), about 224 total points. This season, the Hornets are 2-1 at home and the Trail Blazers are 2-0 on the road. Since the start of the season: 3-2 for the Hornets and 3-0 for the Trail Blazers (current streaks: Hornets L1, Trail Blazers W3). A close game (margin of 5 points or fewer) happens in only 30% of cases according to the model. Fatigue: the Hornets played the night before (back-to-back). Reported injuries: Chris Youngblood (Trail Blazers), Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Coby White (Hornets), Grant Williams (Hornets) and Kylan Boswell (Hornets). Prediction confidence: low.
The analysis Model
Slight edge to the Trail Blazers, but the Hornets have what it takes to keep it close. The model projects Hornets 110 – 113 Trail Blazers, a margin of about 3.0 points in favor of the Trail Blazers and a total around 224 points. Expect a game at a standard NBA pace. The Hornets played yesterday: fatigue often shows in the fourth quarter. The Hornets will be without Kon Knueppel or Coby White (and 2 others). The Trail Blazers will be without Chris Youngblood or Shaedon Sharpe. Early season: the numbers still lean heavily on last season, so confidence stays cautious.
- The Hornets need to win the pace battle to stay in the game.
- The Trail Blazers' offense (118.2 pts/game) is the more productive of the two.
- The Hornets' defense allows clearly fewer points (110.3 pts/game).
What tips the balance
Scenarios
Stat comparison Current season
PORCHA
Players to watch
Trail Blazers
Deni AvdijaF · #822.3pts / game
Ja MorantG · #16.3assists
Donovan ClinganC · #239.3reboundsHornets
Brandon MillerF · #2425.6pts / game
Dennis SchroderG · #174.8assists
Moussa DiabateF · #149.4reboundsRecent form
POR
110-98L
128-118W
124-83W128-120W
136-129CHA
110-103L
128-81W
115-110W
110-103L
97-89
POR
Second opinion
Our model compared with ESPN's public model (BPI). When they agree, the prediction is more solid.
✓ Both models pick the same favorite.
Team comparison
| POR | CHA | |
|---|---|---|
| 3-0 | Record | 3-2 |
| 118.2 | Points scored / game | 111.6 |
| 114.7 | Points allowed / game | 110.3 |
| +3.0 | Adjusted margin / game | +1.1 |
| W3 | Current streak | L1 |
| 3-0 | Last 10 games | 3-2 |
| 2-0 road | Home / road record | 2-1 home |
| 42-40 (-0.3) | Last season | 44-38 (+4.8) |
| No | Played yesterday | Yes |
Injury report Trail Blazers
Injury report Hornets
Probabilities estimated by the Basketlog model from available public data; early in the season they rely heavily on last season. They are neither a certainty nor betting advice.