The NBA season continues with a big game between playoff hopefuls Los Angeles Lakers and the struggling Charlotte Hornets at the Crypto.com Arena.
Both teams have had mixed seasons up to this point, with the hosts 20-16 after their latest game while the visitors are 8-27 following their victory last time out.
We’ll take a look at the matchup between the sides and provide you with our best free NBA betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the court.
Learn more about how to bet on the NBA here.
It has been a real horror show of a season so far for the Hornets, but it didn’t start too badly as they claimed a big win over the Houston Rockets in their opening game. That was followed by defeats to the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat, before a win over the Toronto Raptors saw them go 2-2.
But that’s where the problems started as they lost their next three in a row including a double-header with Boston Celtics, before LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges helped turn things around with three wins in the next five games. Charlotte would win just one more game in the rest of November, going 1-7 to end the month 6-14.
That poor form continued into December as they lost their first three of the month to extend the losing streak to eight, before a surprise win over the Indiana Pacers with Brandon Miller top-scoring for the team. That though would be their only win of the month.
Charlotte went on a ten-game losing streak against the Chicago Bulls (2), Philadelphia 76ers (2), Washington Wizards (2), Houston, Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. But LaMelo Ball hit 32 points and seven assists in a big 115-104 win over the Phoenix Suns in their last game to snap the streak and get a win on the board.
The Lakers’ pre-season was dominated by the addition of Bronny James, son of legendary star and current roster member LeBron James, but the season has panned out differently to how many expected.
Bronny has headed to the G-League to gain more experience with the South Bay Lakers while LeBron has continued to lead the way for his team and helped them to victory in each of their first three games of the season alongside Anthony Davis.
The Lakers then lost four of their next five games however against Phoenix, Cleveland, Detroit Pistons and Memphis, before the experienced duo clicked into gear and led the team to a six-game winning streak – which included a 120-115 win over San Antonio where Davis hit 40 points and 12 rebounds while LeBron went 15-12-16 for another triple-double.
That run was abruptly ended as the Lakers lose three in a row and seven of their next nine, before a run of six wins from eight games to get the team back on track and in good form over the holiday period.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton then became Lakers in a mega-trade that saw D’Angelo Russell leave once again and the team have since gone 2-3, with defeats to Houston and Dallas Mavericks last time out despite LeBron overtaking Michael Jordan for the most 30-point games in NBA history.
While the Lakers haven’t been very consistent with their form this season and come into this game on a two-game losing streak, they should still have more than enough to be victorious over Charlotte.
Over the last ten meetings between the sides the Lakers are 7-3, while the season patterns seem to lean in their favor also. LA are 12-5 at home so far this season, while the Hornets are a dismal 2-14 on the road losing each of their last six.
Even despite defeat to the Mavericks last time out, LeBron and Davis played well and put up numbers on both ends of the court, and if they continue that form then Charlotte simply won’t be able to keep up with them. They have no obvious talent to stop them either, so it really comes down to the mood of the Lakers’ fearsome duo.
The Lakers will be keen to get back to winning ways quickly and they should find a very comfortable victory in this game.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Scoring points hasn’t really been an issue with the Lakers this season, but their defensive inconsistencies have been the big problem and that has seen them falter too often.
Charlotte on the other hand are having trouble with scoring and defending, and their record this season is unlikely to change much between now and the end of the season – it’s hard to see where their next wins are coming from.
So far this season the Hornets are averaging 105.8 points per game, while the Lakers manage 112.3 points per game. It wouldn’t be a surprise for both teams to surpass those averages considering their defensive fragilities though, and that makes the over quite appealing.
An alternative point spread of Over 218 total match points looks like the way to go in this game to be safe and there is good value in it too.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
Read Daniel's ProfileAsk Daniel about this guide:
