Hornets vs Lakers Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Friday, December 23rd

Check out our free Hornets vs Lakers pick and preview for this NBA game in Los Angeles. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Hornets vs Lakers NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Charlotte Hornets at Los Angeles Lakers
Where: Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena
Date: Friday, December 23rd
Betting Odds LAL -3.5, CHA +133 | LAL -160 O/U 236.5

So far, the Hornets have put together an overall record of 8-24, while going 14-16-2 vs the spread. Across the team’s previous 3 games, they have gone 1-2 straight-up and 2-1 vs the spread.

Charlotte is trying to bounce back from a 126-105 loss to the Clippers. Going into this game, the team was 9 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. Charlotte got off to a slow start, trailing by 31 points going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was LaMelo Ball, as he contributed 25 points while hitting 38.5% of his shots.

The Lakers come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 13-18. So far, the team has gone 12-17-2 against the spread. Against the Hornets, the Lakers are looking to break out of a 2 game losing streak. These defeats have come on an average scoring differential of -20.0 points per contest.

Los Angeles is trying to bounce back from a 134-120 loss to the Kings. Going into this game, the team was 8 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. Los Angeles was not able to make a comeback in this matchup, as they went into the half down by 8. In the loss, LeBron James led the team in scoring with 31 points on a field goal percentage of 52.4%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In last season’s head-to-head matchups, the teams split the season series. In these games, each team won on their home floor. Similar to their season-long average, the Hornets averaged 120.0 points per game vs the Lakers. On the other side, Los Angeles saw an improvement in their scoring numbers when playing the Hornets, as they averaged 120.0 points per game in these matchups. Across the previous 5 meetings between the teams, the Lakers have an average scoring margin of +8 points per game, leading to an ATS mark of 5-0. In these matchups, the teams have put together an over-under mark of 3-2. Combined, they averaged 222 points in these games.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

This season, the Charlotte offense is ranked 25th in the NBA in scoring at 110.6 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Hornets will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.5 made 3’s per game. Not only is the Charlotte offense struggling with their outside shot, but they are also getting to the charity stripe at a below average rate. So far, they are the 23rd ranked team in made free-throws per contest.

Against the Lakers, the Hornets will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 25th in points allowed.

Before getting a bet down on this matchup, be sure to check in on the health status of Terry Rozier who is 2nd on the team in scoring at 20.9 points per game. At the time of this article, Rozier is listed as questionable. For the season, he is 3rd on the team in usage rate and is 215th in the NBA in player efficiency rating. If he is able to play, Charlotte benefit from having both of their top scorers as Kelly Oubre Jr. leads the team and is 43rd in the league in scoring (20.8). For today’s matchup, he will going against a defense ranked 6th in points allowed to small-forwards.

Coming into today’s action, Los Angeles is averaging 115.3 points per contest. This figure places them 9th in the league. Coming into today’s game, the Lakers will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 9.9 made 3’s per game. If the Los Angeles offense is going to turn things around, not only do they need to improve their outside shooting but they must do a better job protecting the ball. Currently, they are averaging 14.1 turnovers per game.

Defensively, Los Angeles has had its problems giving up an average of 115.15 points per game (28th).

Without Anthony Davis, Los Angeles will need LeBron James to step up and put together a strong scoring performance against the Charlotte today. This season, Davis leads the team in scoring with 27.4 points per game. James is the team’s 2nd leading scorer with 27.1 points per game, which places him 13.0th in the NBA. In his 23 games, he has hit 48.6% of his field goal attempts and is averaging 8.4 rebounds per game.