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The Los Angeles Lakers host the Charlotte Hornets for the final matchup before Christmas. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Hornets-Lakers prediction and pick.
Things have not gone well for the Hornets this season whatsoever. They have the second-worst record in the NBA at (8-24). It looks like their season is already over and it's not even Christmas yet. It would take a Christmas miracle to turn this season around for the Hornets as only the Detroit Pistons have a worse record at (8-26). The good news is they had a day off yesterday and will play at Crypto.com Arena for the second-straight game.
The Lakers continue to underperform as well. They are coming off of a loss to the Sacramento Kings 134-120 as LeBron James tallied 31/6/11. The loss of Anthony Davis continues to hurt this team and frustrate the fanbase. LA is (13-18) on the season which has them 13th in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here are the Hornets-Lakers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Hornets-Lakers Odds
Charlotte Hornets: +3 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers: -3 (-110)
Over: 242 (-110)
Under: 242 (-110)
Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread
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Terry Rozier is questionable for tonight and this team seriously needs his presence back on the court. The former Celtic is averaging 20.9 points per game along with 4.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He's started every game he has played in but has missed 10 games this season. Cody Martin is out while Dennis Smith Jr. is also questionable tonight with a left ankle sprain. Smith Jr. has played in 15 games this year and started 11 of them averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 assists. He also leads the team in steals at 1.8 per game and so he is a valuable part of this lineup. Having Rozier and Smith Jr. back would give the Hornets a huge boost. If not, they will need to rely on LaMelo Ball to carry the load.
Ball has only played in eight games this year and has averaged 23.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in the short span. He's clearly the top player on this roster but if they want to be successful they can't rely on him all game long. They have seen Kelly Oubre Jr. ball out at time averaging 20.8 per game while Gordon Hayward continues to be a role player tallying 15.2 per game. If they can get in sync and put it all together at once then maybe we can see this team win games in 2023.
Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread
Both LeBron and Russell Westbrook are probable for tonight after giving it their all in the loss to the Kings. They return home where they can hopefully turn things around with a favorable opponent. The Hornets can't buy a win and well, neither can the Lakers. The good news for LA is they are (8-7) at home and the Hornets only have four road wins all season long. Juan Toscano-Anderson is out while Austin Reaves is questionable with a right ankle sprain. The Lakers are certainly asking Santa to heal all their foot/ankle injuries for Christmas.
The key for the Lakers will be to shut down Ball and Oubre. If Rozier returns for Charlotte, that is another threat they must try and contain. The Lakers' defense is horrendous right now and just allowed 134 to the Kings. If they want to win any game they must pick up the pace on defense.
Final Hornets-Lakers Prediction & Pick
I think the Lakers hold on and narrowly defeat the Hornets in this game. Take the over as well as both teams have awful defense at the moment.
Final Hornets-Lakers Prediction & Pick: Lakers -3 (-110); Over 242 (-110)
