Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers Betting Picks, Odds & Predictions
The most interesting Friday night NBA matchup will see the rejuvenated Hornets travel to LA to take on LeBron James and the Lakers. Charlotte is playing well above NBA betting expectations this year and is posting a 20-19 overall record. On the road, they’ve won 8 out of 19 games. The Lakers are 27-13 overall and 13-8 when playing at home. This will be the first time this season the two teams face each other. Lakers, of course, hold the upper hand in the matchup. The last three games have all gone in LA’s favor.
Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers Betting Line Movement
The oddsmakers see the Lakers as clear favorites in this one. The Los Angeles team opened as -8 favorites. The line has dropped a little since at some sportsbooks, standing at -7.5 or-7. The total is set at 224.5 with most NBA betting bookies.
Notes On The Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have gone through a rough patch following AD’s injury. However, they’ve improved a lot lately, especially post All-Star break. They’re currently on a 3-game winning streak. LeBron continues to carry the team and has posted a triple-double last time out vs Minnesota. He finished the game with 25 points, 12 assists, and 12 rebounds. Still, the key in the recent surge is the good form of a couple of bench players. Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma have both significantly raised their game in Davis’ absence. Harrell had 25 points and six assists against the Timberwolves and is averaging over 20 points in March. Kuzma also added 16 from the bench, making it his fourth consecutive 15+ game. Dennis Schroder, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Markieff Morris also finished the last game in double digits.
Besides AD, the Lakers also can’t count on Alex Caruso, Marc Gasol, Jared Dudley, and Kostas Antetokounmpo. LBJ is listed as probable due to nagging left ankle issues, but he should be good to go.
Notes On The Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are the feel-good story of this NBA season. Adding Gordon Hayward in free agency and LaMelo Ball through the draft has completely turned the team’s fortunes around. In addition, Terry Rozier is probably playing the best basketball in his life. Prior to last night’s NBA betting defeat to Denver, they had four straight wins. However, they couldn’t handle Jokic and co at Denver’s high altitude, falling behind 28 points by the end of the 3rd quarter. Scary Terry was the best performer with 21 points with LaMelo adding 14 in only 22 minutes. Hornets are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 back-to-back games. Plus, last night’s game was a blowout so they gave plenty of rest to key contributors.
Coach Borrego will likely have a full squad to choose from with only Rozier listed as questionable.
Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers Betting Pick: Lakers -7.5
After a run of fine form, the Hornets were demolished in Denver in the first of three consecutive NBA betting games against West powerhouses. Now they are facing the Lakers on the second night of a back-to-back. It’s hard to see LA missing a chance to close the gap to Utah at the top of the West. They’ve beaten Charlotte in three straight, with an average margin of 20.3. With Davis out and Hornets’ fine form, the game should be closer, but we still expect the Lakers to cover.
