The Charlotte Hornets know their season isn’t headed anywhere. They lost their star player, LaMelo Ball, and are more than 10 games behind the Eastern Conference’s tenth seed. While their matchup with New York tonight may not be competitive, bettors looking for a solid NBA player prop for Tuesday’s Hornets-Knicks game should tail the prediction below. DraftKings has left a bit too much value on the Gordon Hayward player prop markets. Make sure to check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays.
Best Hornets-Knicks NBA Player Prop | Gordon Hayward
Gordon Hayward O/U 1.5 3-Pointers
The New York Knicks have done a lot of things well, especially lately. Forcing the Boston Celtics into overtime and winning was huge. They have gone an impressive 9-1 through their last 10 games and are only 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fourth seed. However, their lackadaisical perimeter defense could help Gordon Hayward cash in this player prop tonight.
The Hornets haven’t fully committed to the tank quite yet, so Hayward is still drawing enough volume to back him here. He has played 34 minutes per game since Ball went down at the end of February. Hayward for 3-for-8 from 3-point range against the Suns in the first game Ball missed before going a combined 1-for-2 from the perimeter in Charlotte’s next two games. However, he’ll have a chance to bounce back against New York this evening.
Despite playing at a relatively slow pace, the Knicks have allowed plenty of 3-pointers. They have given up the fifth-most 3-pointers per game (13) on the year and the fourth-most (16) through the last three games. The Knicks have struggled to stop shooters in the corner and above the break — they rank ninth-worst in above-the-break 3’s allowed (9.3) and sixth-worst in corner 3’s allowed (3.7) on the year. Recently, their defense has fared worse from above the break, as they have allowed 10 3’s from that zone per game over the last seven contests.
Hayward, Charlotte’s starting small forward, should benefit from the matchup and an uptick in usage without Ball. The Knicks have allowed the fifth-most 3-pointers to his position this year (3.4) and he takes 80% of his looks from above the break. Hayward has played the Knicks as a Hornet twice without Ball and is averaging 2 3-pointers per game on 5.5 attempts. With the over at +185 on DraftKings Sportsbook, a small wager goes a long way. Readers yet to register at DraftKings can score $150 in bonus bets with a $5 moneyline wager! Bettors can even tease this up at FanDuel Sportsbook for a much bigger payday — just make sure to limit your bet size accordingly!
Best Hornets-Knicks Player Prop: Gordon Hayward Over 1.5 3-Pointers (+185 for 0.33 Unit) via DraftKings
Best Hornets-Knicks Ladder Bet: Gordon Hayward 3+ 3-Pointers (+650 for 0.17 Unit) via FanDuel
