Watch Hornets vs. Pelicans: TV channel, live stream info, start time

Through 3 Quarters

The experts predicted a defeat for the New Orleans Pelicans, but with just one quarter left to go, they seem like they might make the experts look bad. It’s still tight after three quarters, with New Orleans leading 84-80 over the Charlotte Hornets.

The Pelicans have been led by center Jonas Valanciunas, who so far has dropped a double-double on 18 points and 14 boards along with five dimes. A double-double would be Valanciunas’ fifth in a row.

Point guard LaMelo Ball (15 points) and point guard Isaiah Thomas (13 points) have been the top scorers for Charlotte. Those points put Isaiah Thomas near his season high of 14.

Charlotte hasn’t lost 88% of the games in which they were down heading into the final period this year, so a win here would be refreshing.

Who’s Playing

New Orleans @ Charlotte

Current Records: New Orleans 30-41; Charlotte 36-35

What to Know

The Charlotte Hornets’ homestand continues as they prepare to take on the New Orleans Pelicans at 7 p.m. ET March 21 at Spectrum Center. If the matchup is anything like the Hornets’ 142-120 victory from their previous meeting in March, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.

Charlotte took their game against the Dallas Mavericks this past Saturday by a conclusive 129-108 score. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Charlotte had established a 102-80 advantage. Power forward Miles Bridges and point guard LaMelo Ball were among the main playmakers for Charlotte as the former had 23 points in addition to eight boards and the latter shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points and seven assists.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn’t a dominant performance, New Orleans beat the Atlanta Hawks 117-112 on Sunday. New Orleans’ center Jonas Valanciunas did his thing and dropped a double-double on 26 points and 12 rebounds. That makes it four consecutive games in which Valanciunas has had at least ten rebounds.

The Hornets are the favorite in this one, with an expected 6-point margin of victory. They are currently four-for-four against the spread in their most recent games, a trend bettors might want to take into account.

Their wins bumped Charlotte to 36-35 and the Pelicans to 30-41. Watch the contest and check back on CBS Sports to find out who keeps up the positive energy and who hits a stumbling block.