Believe it or not, the Hornets are among the most in-form teams in the NBA today. Like the Knicks, the Hornets have won their last five games, and they’re keen to make it six in a row when they host Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs tomorrow at the Spectrum Center.
Before this season started, expectations weren’t high for the Hornets. However, they might have turned the corner this time. Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley even “guaranteed” recently that Charlotte would at least make it to the play-in tournament – highlighting his belief in this up-and-coming team.
Elsewhere, the Pacers, Sixers, Heat, Grizzlies, and Rockets will host the Hawks, Pelicans, Bulls, Timberwolves, and Mavericks to round out tomorrow’s six-game schedule. As always, SBOTOP basketball fans will get their fair share of new NBA 2026 highlights.
San Antonio Spurs @ Charlotte Hornets
As noted, the Hornets have been on a tear in the past few days, which includes impressive blowout wins over the Magic (124-97) and the Sixers (130-93), and they’ll open their two-game homestand with a challenging game against the Spurs, who have won two of their last three.
In their 123-121 road win against the Mavericks on Thursday night, former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel went toe-to-toe against each other, but it was Knueppel who had the last laugh.
Knueppel led Charlotte with 34 points, four rebounds, three assists, and eight three-pointers on 10-for-16 shooting from the field in 36 minutes. Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate added 23, 22, 17, and 10 points. As a result, the Hornets improved to 21-28 this season, good for 11th in the Eastern Conference, and they’re eager to defy the NBA 2026 odds.
The Spurs are fresh from a 111-99 win against the Rockets in their latest Texas showdown at the Toyota Center. Victor Wembanyama was all over the place, notching 28 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and five blocks on 8-for-15 shooting from the field and 12-for-15 shooting from the free throw line. De’Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson, and Stephon Castle added 18, 17, and 16 points.
Betting tip – San Antonio Spurs Asian Handicap -4.50 @ 2.00
Chicago Bulls @ Miami Heat
The Bulls are suddenly on a three-game losing streak after winning four in a row last week, and they will face the Heat two more times this weekend. The Heat won 116-113 in the first game of their mini-series on Thursday, as Coby White missed his game-tying three-point attempt in the final seconds.
All-Star hopeful Norman Powell had a team-high 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting from the field for Miami, while Bam Adebayo, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson, Kel’el Ware, Dru Smith, and Andrew Wiggins added 20, 19, 15, 12, 11, and 10 points. The Heat have now won three of their last four to improve to 26-23 this term.
Ayo Dosunmu led all Bulls scorers with 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 8-for-16 shooting from the field in 31 minutes off the bench, while Matas Buzelis, Kevin Huerter, Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, and Jalen Smith finished with 16, 15, 15, 14, and 11 points.
Chicago were without Josh Giddey due to a nagging hamstring injury, and the Melbourne native is iffy to play tomorrow. Moreover, Vucevic could take the night off, while White and Smith are also questionable to play.
Betting tip – Miami Heat Asian Handicap -5.00 @ 1.86
Dallas Mavericks @ Houston Rockets
The Mavericks aim to snap their three-game slide when they visit the Rockets tomorrow, and it’ll likely be on the back of another spectacular night from Cooper Flagg.
When Flagg went head-to-head with Kon Knueppel on Thursday, the 19-year-old swingman dropped 49 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists on 20-for-29 shooting from the field in 38 minutes, setting the record for most points by a teenager in NBA history. Klay Thompson, Brandon Williams, PJ Washington, and Max Christie added 16, 15, 14, and 13 points in the losing effort.
The Rockets are coming off a 104-86 win over the Hawks on Thursday, as Kevin Durant dropped 31 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 12-for-22 shooting from the field in 34 minutes. Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, Josh Okogie, and Clint Capela added 14, 13, 10, and 10 points.
Houston suffered another lineup blow upon confirming that Steven Adams is out for the rest of the 2025-26 season due to ankle surgery, which means more workload for Alperen Sengun and Clint Capela.
Betting tip – Under 221.00 @ 1.88
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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