Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers: Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds (12/23/22)

The Charlotte Hornets visit the Los Angeles Lakers after losing a blowout to the other LA team, the Clippers two days ago. The Lakers are also coming off a loss to the Kings that wasn’t that close either. This should be an interesting matchup because both of these teams haven’t met a ton of expectations. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Charlotte Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds

The Los Angeles Lakers are a 3-point home favorite against the Charlotte Hornets and are at -150 on the money line. The over/under is also at 242. The Lakers being favored here makes sense because they’re at home and the Hornets have struggled even more than the Lakers this year and the Lakers should be getting LeBron James and Russell Westbrook back for this game too. The over/under makes sense too because both of these teams score a lot and are not great on defense. This spread should stay where it’s at before tip-off.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Prediction

The pick: Lakers -3

This is a matchup between two teams that have not been great this season. However, the Lakers are the team with more to like in this game. While they won’t have Anthony Davis, both LeBron James and Russell Westbrook will play after missing some time to injury. LeBron is still playing at an incredibly high level for his age and was tied with Anthony Davis for leading the team in scoring. Westbrook has stepped up after getting sent to the bench and he’s thrived as a 6th man. The other role players that have stepped up are Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves on the wing.

As a team, the Lakers are 9th in the NBA in scoring at 115 points a game and are tied for 6th in the NBA in total rebounds a game. While the Lakers have been a disappointment, the Hornets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA this season. One of the biggest reasons for the Hornets struggles has been injuries and it started with LaMelo Ball missing a good chunk of the season to start. He’s back and leads the Hornets in scoring and assists. With Terry Rozier out, Kelly Oubre is the next man up for scoring, and he’s been very good this season. As a team, the best thing they do is rebound and they are ranked 5th in the NBA in rebounding. The Lakers are the play here because of the players they are getting back and that they are the home team. Not having Anthony Davis is going to hurt, but not against Charlotte.

Betting Trends

Hornets are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.

Lakers are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record.

Key Matchups

Can Russell Westbrook match up with LaMelo Ball? Can PJ Washington match up with LeBron James?

LaMelo Ball vs. Russell Westbrook

LaMelo Ball has been great in his limited action this year. He averages 23 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds on the year so far. He has a very tough matchup in Westbrook because he’s still a very good defender. Westbrook has taken a step-back, but has been good as the 6th man for the Lakers. He averages 15 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds for the year. He has a good matchup because Ball is not great on defense. Ball is the better player right now, but this matchup will be key because of how athletic Westbrook is.

LeBron James vs. PJ Washington

LeBron James has not slowed down at all still. He averages 27 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds for the year. PJ Washington will be matched up with him most of the time and James should have no issue there. Washington has been decent this year on the wing. He averages 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal a game for the year. LeBron is still very good on defense when he can be, so this will be a tough matchup for Washington. This might be a matchup where Washington is outmatched, but it’s a deciding factor because LeBron can do so much on offense and defense.

Charlotte Hornets Starting Lineup

PG: LaMelo Ball
SG: Terry Rozier
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: PJ Washington
C: Mason Plumlee

Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineups

PG: Patrick Beverley
SG: Lonnie Walker IV
SF: Troy Brown Jr.
PF: LeBron James
C: Thomas Bryant

Key Injuries

Charlotte Hornets Injuries: SG Terry Rozier (Hip) Q, PG Dennis Smith Jr. (Ankle) Q

Los Angeles Lakers Injuries: PF Anthony Davis (Foot) O, SG Austin Reaves (Ankle) Q