The Charlotte Hornets host the Los Angeles Lakers in an elite interconference matchup Friday night! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Lakers-Hornets prediction and pick.

Los Angeles is coming off another horrible loss last night, this time to the Philadelphia 76ers. Anthony Davis returned to the team and put up 31 points in the loss. He shot 14-21 which is something LA needs desperately. But, they only scored 87 points so now that their big three is back they need to really figure it out. LeBron James did not play in the loss due to soreness and they could have definitely used his presence. LA is (24-25) on the season which puts them ninth in the Western Conference.

Charlotte is (27-22) on the season and are in seventh place in the East. They are coming off a win over the Indiana Pacers last time out 158-126. There was absolutely zero defense played that entire game and even though they put up that many points, the Lakers must be feeling good knowing that they allowed 126 to the Pacers. LA should be able to score that many points they just need their defense to improve. This has the makings of being a really good game.

Here are the Lakers-Hornets NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NBA Odds: Lakers-Hornets Odds

Los Angeles Lakers: +6.5 (-112)

Charlotte Hornets: -6.5 (-108)

Over: 228.5 (-110)

Under: 228.5 (-110)

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Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread

This is not going to be an easy spread to cover if James is out once again. The Lakers have yet to announce if he will suit up after missing last night's game. They will certainly need him because the Hornets are no joke anymore. They are winning games at a light level and are one of the better teams in the NBA right now. If it's just AD, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony, that should still be enough to compete and have a chance to win. Even though those players are getting older, they are still some of the top talents in the NBA. Those three must figure out a way to get into a consistent rhythm because nobody usually does it better than those guys. They have been playing at a high level for over a decade and the Hornets are a much younger team.

They must defend more than anything. It's their lazy approach on the defensive end that is hurting the team and if James isn't out there it's only going to stay lazy. The last time they played was early Nov. where AD scored 32 in the overtime win. The Lakers are just 4-6 in their last 10 games.

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Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread

Opposite the Lakers, the Hornets are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are figuring things out and seem to be a real contender in the East. Charlotte is also 13-7 on their home court this season. They are coming into the game as the favorites at home which is the right call. The spread is a little high because they are assuming James will not suit up. If James does not play, Charlotte will have a great chance at covering this spread. If James does play, they still have a chance but they will need to play their best. We haven't seen the Lakers have their full team intact in quite some time.

The Hornets are going to need LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges to be on their game. Bridges is leading the team in scoring and is one of the more improved players in the NBA, averaging 20.1 points per game. If they can get solid production from them then they should be able to cover this spread.

Final Lakers-Hornets Prediction & Pick

This is a tough one to pick because we have no idea if King James will suit up or not. Because of that, I'm going to just assume the over will hit. The last time they played they went into overtime and the combined score was 249. I have a feeling it will be a similar type of game.

Final Lakers-Hornets Prediction & Pick: Over 228.5 (-110)