Hornets vs. Lakers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
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Jeremy Perry
The Charlotte Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers will be facing off for the first time this season on Thursday. The Hornets enter this game having won four of five, and are starting to mesh together at the right time. Meanwhile, the Lakers have strung together three straight wins without their superstar forward Anthony Davis. Which of these teams will be able to continue their streak?
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Lakers are 8-point favourites on the NBA odds with a total of 227.
Charlotte has fared well against Pacific Division opponents, although the Lakers are a different animal than the rest. The Hornets are both 4-1 against the spread and straight up against the division. Of note, the Over is 14-4 in their road games this season.
The Lakers have struggled to cover in non-conference games as they are 3-9 ATS. However, they are 14-9 ATS in games where the total is 220+ and 17-7 SU.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are led by their star rookie point guard LaMelo Ball, who is putting up fantastic numbers in just his first season with the team. Ball has played like a grizzled veteran so far, putting up 15.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game while leading the team in those last two categories. He has contributed on the offensive and defensive end, and elevated the play of his teammates. He hasn’t done it alone, though, as Gordan Hayward has pitched in 21.1 points per game while Terry Rozier has come to life, pouring in another 20.4. Their whole young core has also taken that next step in development with P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges all improving over the summer to help them out. They lost badly in Denver last night, though, and will have to regroup quickly. We’ll see if they can pull it off.
Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James completely carries the load offensively for this team, averaging 25.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Not surprisingly, he leads the Lakers in all of those categories. He is just continuing his dominance across the league and has done so without Davis for about 16 games. The Lakers have also gotten improved production out of Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell, who have each stepped up in the absence of Davis. Schroder puts up 14.6 points and 4.6 assists per game while Harrell adds on 14.5 of his own and 6.3 rebounds. Their depth has taken a hit in recent days, though, with Jared Dudley tearing his MCL and Alex Caruso suffering from a concussion. The status of veteran big man Marc Gasol is also in question, but he should be able to suit up for this game after missing the previous two due to COVID-19 protocols. It is just too hard to believe that James will not be able to pull out a win for his team given their talent difference.
CHA
LAL