Hornets host 76ers in Charlotte; Embiid and George ruled out

According to Cbssports, the Charlotte Hornets will host the Philadelphia 76ers at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday with tipoff set for 3 p.m. ET as Charlotte seeks a third straight win. Philadelphia (24-20) is coming off a 112-109 loss to the New York Knicks, while the Hornets (18-28) beat Washington 119-115; the 76ers are 12-7 on the road and Charlotte is 8-13 at home. Philadelphia will be without starters Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (knee).

DraftKings Sportsbook lists Charlotte as a 1.5-point favorite with a 228.5 over/under; the money line shows Charlotte -126 and Philadelphia +106. The SportsLine Projection Model simulated the game 10,000 times and has the contest going Over the 228.5 total, projecting the teams to combine for 234 points and the Over to hit in nearly 60% of simulations. The model projects Tyrese Maxey to average 31.2 points and LaMelo Ball 19.7, with four 76ers scoring at least 13.9 points and five Hornets scoring at least 12.7.

The Projection Model, which the outlet says has returned well over $10,000 for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over eight-plus seasons and enters Week 15 on a 37-16 roll on top-rated spread picks, also says one side of the spread is the better value; the model's specific picks and spread recommendation are available at SportsLine.

Key Topics

Sports, Charlotte Hornets, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, Lamelo Ball