The Hornets are the more consistent team at 9-1 SU in 10 games, they just beat Atlanta a couple of days ago in Atlanta fairly convincingly. Jalen Johsnon is still questionable to play for the Hawks here, without him they are just not the same team.

New York is on a 2nd night of a back-to-back, playing a Philadelphia team that just came back from a long 5-game West coast trip. The long cross country flight could leave a mark on the Sixers players, so there should be no rest advantage for either side. The Knicks will be motivated to even the series here, they’ve had the upper hand in head to head meetings with 6 wins in 8 games played.

Over 208.5 is a low-bar play. Houston’s physical rim pressure and second-effort scoring raise their offensive floor through free throws and second-chance scores. The Clippers don’t need to be elite, just functional, because low totals are fragile; a couple short scoring runs can push the game past the number without a pace spike.