The Brooklyn Nets (0-0) finally get to begin their 2026-27 NBA season on Wednesday after generating some excitement with the roster after trading for former Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle this offseason. Brooklyn welcomes the Charlotte Hornets (0-0) to Barclays Center to open the season and if you're wondering where you can watch all the action live, you've come to the right place!
The Nets ended their preseason with a 3-1 record, including a 124-90 win over the Hornets, and it seems like the combination of Randle and forward Michael Porter Jr. is going well so far. While Porter and Randle will be drawing most of the headlines for Brooklyn during the regular season, it will also be interesting to see what guard Egor Demin and center
Day'Ron Sharpe have to show this season.
The Hornets finished their preseason with a 1-3 record mostly due to injuries to some of their best players in Coby White, Kon Knueppel, and Grant Williams, who will all miss this matchup with their respective injuries. Charlotte still has Brandon Miller and Naz Reid available so they will be trying to win as many games as possible after trading away LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges in the summer.
The Lines, Courtesy Of BetMGM
- Point-spread: Nets (-2.5)
- Money-line: Nets (-145)
- Over/Under: 218.5
Notable Injuries
Nets: OUT: Tyler Bilodeau (shoulder).
Hornets: OUT: Kylan Boswell (knee), Kon Knueppel (hamstring), Coby White (calf), and Grant Williams (hamstring).
Advice and Prediction
The Nets will be relying on Porter and Randle to lead the team to more wins that they did last season when they finished the campaign with a 20-62 record. Brooklyn finished last season with the worst offensive rating (108.7) in the NBA and ranked just 26th in the league in defensive rating (119.0) so they have some work to do to right the wrongs of last season.
The Hornets changed their team significantly with the aforementioned trades of Ball and Bridges so it'll be interested to see how head coach Charles Lee runs the team on both ends of the court. Brandon Miller is in position to be the best player on the team with guys like Kon Knueppel, Coby White, and Naz Reid to see increases in their roles within this roster.
It's hard to find a basis for how this game is going to go given that there isn't a sample size for both of these rosters outside of the regular season, but the Nets did beat the Hornets pretty handily in the preseason. Charlotte is still missing White and Knueppel, among others, so Brooklyn should win this matchup, but it should be a fast-paced affair once again.
Prediction: Nets 115, Hornets 110
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets vs. Hornets betting preview: Prediction, point spread, odds
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