The NBA season continues with a big game between playoff hopefuls Los Angeles Lakers and the struggling Charlotte Hornets at the Crypto.com Arena, in the first game since the All-Star Weekend.
Both teams have had mixed seasons up to this point, with the hosts 32-20 after their latest game while the visitors are 13-39 coming into this game.
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.
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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 will now be remembered as the year Luka Doncic made the move to Los Angeles.
The campaign started with three straight wins and four wins in heir opening six games of the season, before defeats to Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies put them at 4-4. But LeBron, Anthony Davies and Austin Reaves stepped up their performances and the Lakers won their next six in a row. The team then finished off the month with four defeats in their next five, ending the month 11-8.
The Lakers started December with four defeats in their first six before five wins in their next six, including three wins over the Sacramento Kings and one over Golden State Warriors.
2025 started with three defeats in their first five games before going on a run of six wins in their next seven games, including a win over Charlotte where Davies scored 42 points and registered 23 rebounds in a stunning performance.
So far this month the Lakers have registered a 5-1 record, with new signing Doncic fitting into the team perfectly alongside James, and LA will be looking to continue that good form in this game and push towards a playoff spot.
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. Since then though things have been pretty horrible, as they have racked up the second-worst record in the NBA this season.
LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges helped turn things around with three wins in the next five games, but 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.
They then won three of their next four games, but they lost eight of the nine games following that to spiral into poor form once more. A 117-116 win over the San Antoni Spurs snapped that run, but they have since lost three-in-a-row before the All-Star break.
Over the last ten meetings between the sides the Lakers are 8-2, while the season patterns seem to lean in their favor also. LA are 19-6 at home so far this season, while the Hornets are a dismal 4-19 on the road losing each of their last four.
After the initial shock of Doncic’s arrival in LA and Davies leaving in a trade, the Lakers are beginning to come to terms with it and the team are looking good. With James missing out on the All-Star game due to foot and ankle discomfort, there are no guarantees he will be able to feature in this game and that could make it Doncic’s team for the first time.
The Hornets have one of the worst rosters in the league and are already at a stage where they’re considering tanking ahead of the next season. With Doncic looking to prove he can still be the man in Los Angeles too, take them to claim a comfortable win at home.
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So far this season the Hornets are averaging 106.25 points per game, while the Lakers manage 113.27 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.
A 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.
If LeBron is fit enough to play too then the Lakers’ chances of running up a big number will only improve too after a little mid-season break for many players, so take the Over to land.
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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.
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