New Orleans at Charlotte

A tale of two young teams heading in opposite directions. New Orleans is on a 10-5 SU, 11-4 ATS run after a 142-122 rout at Washington. The offense is 13th in scoring and 12th in shooting, while the defense is fourth at defending beyond the arc. New Orleans is 26-12 ATS as a road favorite of 6.5 to 12 points, plus 20-7 ATS against teams that allow 48% shooting or higher. Charlotte is on a 4-10 SU, 5-9 spread run. The offense is 20th in scoring and the defense is 26th in points given up, 25th in field goal shooting allowed, and 28th at defending the 3-pointer. Leading scorer LaMelo Ball (24.7 ppg) is still out, while the frontcourt is without P.J. Washington (13.1 ppg) and center Mark Williams (12.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg). Charlotte is 23-35 ATS after having lost four or five of their last six, plus 30-44 ATS versus teams that allow 46% or higher defensively. Play New Orleans.