• The Charlotte Hornets are in exceptional form, currently on a four-game winning streak and having tied an NBA record with six road wins by 15+ points in January.
• The Dallas Mavericks are severely short-handed due to a litany of injuries, with key players like Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Dante Exum, and Anthony Davis all out, and Cooper Flagg and Klay Thompson questionable.
• Brandon Miller leads a healthy Hornets team, giving them a clear advantage in star power and enabling them to dictate a fast pace, particularly exploiting the Mavericks' weakened frontcourt.
• The Hornets are favored by 4.5 points, reflecting their superior form, health, and the Mavericks' significant fatigue factor.
• The game is anticipated to be decided in the paint and on the glass, areas where the Hornets are expected to dominate against the Mavericks' depleted frontcourt.

The Charlotte Hornets are in significantly better recent form, currently on a four-game winning streak and having performed exceptionally well on the road in January. The Dallas Mavericks, in contrast, are coming off a home loss and have a losing overall record, indicating a colder recent form. While the full last 5 game results are not provided for either team, the streak information clearly favors the Hornets.

The Dallas Mavericks are significantly impacted by injuries, with multiple key players and starters, including Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Dante Exum, and Anthony Davis, out for the season or indefinitely. Additionally, Cooper Flagg and Klay Thompson are questionable for the game. This severely depletes their roster and star power. The Charlotte Hornets, in contrast, have Mason Plumlee (a rotation player) out, and a G-League player (KJ Simpson) also out, which represents a much lower impact on their main rotation.

The provided research data does not contain information regarding the recent head-to-head history between the Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks.

The Charlotte Hornets are currently favored by 4.5 points with -110 odds, while the Dallas Mavericks are +4.5 with -110 odds. The total is set at 228.5 points, with both Over and Under at -110. The moneyline has the Hornets at -175 and the Mavericks at +145. There has been slight movement in the spread odds for Charlotte from -112 to -110 and the total (Over 228) from -115 to -110, but no movement on the Hornets' moneyline.