In what shapes up as a matchup between two teams enduring dismal seasons, the New Orleans Pelicans (20-54) welcome the Charlotte Hornets (18-55) to Smoothie King Center on Sunday night with both clubs desperate to salvage something from their disappointing campaigns.
The spotlight falls on each team's offensive woes - Charlotte ranks dead last in shooting efficiency while sitting 29th in offensive rating, and New Orleans hasn't fared much better with the NBA's worst defensive rating and a 24th-ranked offense hampered by injuries to key contributors like Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum.
Home-court advantage might prove decisive for the Pelicans against a Hornets squad riding a four-game losing streak and missing several starters including LaMelo Ball, who torched New Orleans for 25 points in their previous meeting when the home team demolished the away team by 31 points in January.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Charlotte Hornets prediction: who will win?
For tonight's New Orleans Pelicans vs Charlotte Hornets matchup, our predictive model gives the Pelicans a 58.25% chance of defeating the Hornets.
Pre-game probabilities
New Orleans Pelicans
Moneyline
Win %
58.25%
41.75%
Charlotte Hornets
New Orleans Pelicans: 58.25% win probability
- Higher offensive production (8166 points scored compared to Hornets' 7714)
- Better recent form with a win in their last five games (LWLLW vs Hornets' LLLLW)
- Home court advantage with slightly better overall record (20-54 vs Hornets' 18-55)
Charlotte Hornets: 41.75% win probability
- Worst offensive output in the Eastern Conference (7714 points, lowest among all teams)
- Dismal recent form with four losses in their last five games (LLLLW)
- Poor road performance as indicated by their league-worst 18-55 record in the Eastern Conference
At Sporting Post, our unique prediction model brings together insights from top NBA experts. Instead of searching through countless expert analyses online, you can rely on our predictions to capture the market's overall sentiment. We scan trusted sources, analyzing expert picks, data, and trends, while our AI assigns a confidence level to each prediction. These confidence levels are then averaged to generate an 'expert opinion' win probability—providing a data-driven reflection of the collective intelligence of the industry's leading NBA analysts..
| New Orleans Pelicans | Charlotte Hornets | |
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| Moneyline |
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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Charlotte Hornets preview
The Pelicans host the Hornets at Smoothie King Center in a clash between two teams that have essentially mailed in their season, with both squads dealing with significant injury issues that have derailed any hopes they had back in October.
Charlotte enters on a miserable four-game skid and brings the NBA's worst shooting efficiency to New Orleans, though they've shown flashes when crashing the offensive glass, ranking sixth in offensive rebounding rate.
The Hornets walloped the Pelicans by 31 points in their January meeting, but they'll be limping into this one without LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and several other key contributors.
New Orleans hasn't fared much better, going just 2-6 in their last eight games while boasting the NBA's worst defensive rating—a stunning fall from grace for a team that had playoff aspirations.
Home court could prove decisive, as the Pelicans have managed 13 of their 20 wins at the Smoothie King Center this season, while Charlotte has gone winless in their last four road games.
Both teams are shooting brick after brick—the Hornets rank dead last in true shooting percentage while the Pelicans aren't much better at 24th—making this a game where second-chance points might actually determine the winner.
Karlo Matkovic might be someone to watch after dropping 19 points on efficient 7-of-11 shooting against the 76ers in the Pelicans' last outing.
With the regular season winding down and lottery positioning on the line, this basement battle might not feature pretty basketball, but it'll certainly give us a glimpse of which young players might factor into these franchises' futures.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Charlotte Hornets form
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Charlotte Hornets head to head
New Orleans Pelicans
80%
Charlotte Hornets
20%
Mar 30, 2025
New Orleans Pelicans
0 : 0
Charlotte Hornets
Jan 26, 2025
Charlotte Hornets
123 : 92
New Orleans Pelicans
Jan 18, 2024
New Orleans Pelicans
132 : 112
Charlotte Hornets
Dec 16, 2023
Charlotte Hornets
107 : 112
New Orleans Pelicans
Jul 13, 2023
New Orleans Pelicans
89 : 83
Charlotte Hornets
Mar 24, 2023
New Orleans Pelicans
115 : 96
Charlotte Hornets
