Charlotte Hornets vs Brooklyn Nets Picks and Prediction for Wednesday October 21 2026

By: Eddie Kline Published 10/18/2026, 10:46 PM ET

The Charlotte Hornets and the Brooklyn Nets will square off to open their seasons on Wednesday October, 21,2026. Tip off from the Barclay’s Center will be at 7:30 pm EST and the game can be streamed on NBA League Pass. Oddsmakers have made the Hornets a slight 1.5 road favorite and the total is set at 221. Be ready for all of this season's NBA action with our free NBA picks.

Charlotte moves on from LaMelo Ball

The Charlotte Hornets are in the midst of a ten season playoff drought and have not won a playoff series since 2002. The Hornets finished five games above .500 on the road a season ago, but were smoked at Orlando in the Play-In Tournament by a 121-90 final score. Charlotte traded G LaMelo Ball to Minnesota for Naz Reid in the offseason and re-signed G Coby White (3 yrs, $74-million).

On Friday, Charlotte was outscored in each quarter and turned the ball over 24 times during a 116-98 road loss against Memphis. Number 14 overall draft pick Hannes Steinbach matched a game-high with 19 points and ten rebounds in 28 minutes off the Charlotte bench. Brandon Miller added 15 points (4-12 FG) for the Hornets.

Charlotte head coach Charles Lee likes this roster and feels like they can be even more dynamic on the offensive end of the floor. The Hornets ranked ninth in offensive efficiency last season, but were a high turnover team. Charlotte was a middle of the back defensive squad and gave up 111.2 points per game.

Brooklyn still rebuilding

The Brooklyn Nets dropped 29 of 41 home games a season ago and are stuck in rebuilding mode. The Nets (20-62) acquired Minnesota F Julius Randle as part of a four-team trade and he will pair well with sharp-shooting F Michael Porter Jr.. Brooklyn selected Louisville G Mikel Brown Jr. with the sixth pick of the NBA Draft to add to their youth movement.

Brooklyn won their first three preseason games, but finished with a 144-128 road loss against Miami on Wednesday night. The Nets were outrebounded by a 50-37 margin and allowed the Heat to shoot a sizzling 59 percent from the field. Michael Porter Jr. led all scorers with 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting.

It will be interesting to see if Brooklyn is more committed to the defensive end of the floor. Last season, the Nets ranked 26th in defensive efficiency and surrendered a shade below 116 points per contest. Brooklyn averaged a league low 105.9 points per contest, but has more offensive options at their disposal.