Game Time:  7:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 31st, 2021 

Venue: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass / and local cable carrier 

DraftKings:  Spread:  PK :  O/U: 220

BetMGM:  Spread: PK :  O/U: 220

Trail Blazers: 3-2, Western Conference

Hornets: 4-2, Eastern Conference

Last season the Trail Blazers finished 42-30.  A clear playoff team with a dominating point guard serving as their star player.  They seem to be struggling this season so far, even though they are above .500. Most noticeably that star player, Damian Lillard, is not having the big games we are used to seeing from him.  He still has his running buddy CJ McCollum with him, and CJ is playing great.  It’s just that the roster changes year after year without ever producing different results.  There have been rumblings that Damian wants out and is too classy to make it a big public thing.  There are also rumblings that Portland should make the move now while Damian is still coveted enough to bring a giant haul in return.

If you haven’t been paying attention to the Hornets over the last 20 years… congratulations!  You are totally normal.  The Hornets have been in a long funk as NBA doormats.  They have had bright spots over the years like when point guard Kemba Walker was their scoring machine (in losing efforts) before he was with the Boston Celtics and now has moved on to the New York Knicks.  This year is different.  The Hornets are off to a relatively fantastic start and they are loaded with great young talent.  They will win a lot this year and most likely over the next several… so get ready to pay attention to the Hornets.

Al McMordie's an awesome 14-7 in the NBA this season, and 83-47 his last 130 overall after cashing the LA Lakers, ATL Braves and NY Rangers last night. Now, for Saturday, Big Al's back on the NBA hardwood with his NBA Non-Conference Game of the Month out of an 81-44 ATS system. Get on it! Get Big Als’ picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

RECENT FORM

The Trail Blazers have beaten the Phoenix Suns, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Los Angeles Clippers.  They have lost to the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Clippers.  The season so far has been defying NBA predictions… Damian Lillard is averaging only 19.2 ppg and while that is good it is his lowest 5 game start in 6 seasons.  CJ McCollum is actually leading the team in scoring with 24.2 ppg… also in steals and blocks.  The Trail Blazers have spent several years with Damian leading in Points and Steals.  C Jusuf Nurkic is healthy this year and back in the starting lineup… SF Norman Powell (a necessary piece) has missed two games because of injury.

The Hornets are exciting!  They have beaten the Indiana Pacers, the Cleveland cavaliers, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Orlando Magic.  They have lost to the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.  Point guard LaMelo Ball, last season’s Rookie of the Year, has seemingly doubled up the effort and must be going for Most Improved and All-Star honors.  He has help from young SF Miles Bridges who has blossomed into a full time beast, Miles is scoring 25.5 ppg with 8 rbs and 1.8 steals a game.  The recycled Gordon Hayward is also playing above expectations.  It seems like big man by committee with Mason Plumlee starting and lots of young guys taking turns.  The trade deadline and this team’s Center position should get a lot of attention after December.

The Portland Trail Blazers are 8th in the league in offensive rating 108.8… offense isn’t a problem thanks to CJ McCollum and that Dame got his first 25 point game in the last outing.  Where Portland has struggled so far is landing 24th in the league in assist-to turnover ratio 1.34.  They have spent most years with Dame with a much better number.  The season is young… all these numbers will change as the sample size gets bigger.  Dame is still great.

The Charlotte Hornets are 4th in the league in offensive rating 112.4.  They shoot 53.2% in effective field goal percentage (great number for a team full of young players) and are 8th in offensive rebound percentage.  If the Charlotte kids can hang on to these numbers it will signal the arrival of a new contender in the East.

Our prediction for Sunday, October 31st is… Hornets 125 - Trail Blazers 118

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NBA Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month. And if you enjoyed this Trail Blazers/Hornets Preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.  Get help with all your college football picks, National Football league, NCAA brackets, or any prop bets on your season schedule. 

Charlotte is 1-0 ATS versus Portland at Charlotte over the last 3 seasons.
1 of 1 game at charlotte in this series has gone UNDER.
Charlotte is 2-1 ATS versus Portland over the last 3 seasons.

Injury Report:

Portland: SF Tony Snell (knee) Out

Charlotte: SG Terry Rozier (ankle) Out

Portland: PD Damian Lillard, Sg CJ McCollum, SF Norman Powell, PF Robert Covington, C Jusuf Nurkic

Charlotte: PG LaMelo Ball, SG Kelly Oubre JR, SF Gordon Hayward, PF Miles Bridges, C Mason Plumlee

Portland

Points: CJ McCollum 24.2

Rebounds: Jusuf Nurkic 12.2

Assists: Damian Lillard 7.6

Steals: CJ McCollum 1.8

Blocks: CJ McCollum 1.6

Charlotte

Points: Miles Bridges 25.5

Rebounds: Mason Plumlee 9.3

Assists: LaMelo Ball 6

Steals: Miles Bridges 1.8

Blocks: Mason Plumlee 1.2

Portland:  Chauncey Billups

Charlotte:  James Borrego