Los Angeles Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Nationally televised NBA coverage will resume on Friday night with a compelling non-conference matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets. Coverage begins from Spectrum Center at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

SCORE PREDICTION

Hornets 116, Lakers 107

BEST BETS

Hornets -6.5 (-110) at Caesars 

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. CHARLOTTE HORNETS PREDICTIONS

After finishing 10th in the East with a record of 33-39 SU last year, Charlotte kept that same ball rolling with another slow start to this season, as the Hornets opened with a lackluster 16-17 SU and 19-14 ATS run – with ten of those SU losses coming by a double-digit margin.

Charlotte has played excellent since the Holidays though, considering the Hornets enter Friday’s contest riding an impressive 11-5 SU and ATS run – despite getting tagged as underdogs in half of those matchups (8).

On the other hand, the Lakers also posted an underwhelming start to the season, as the Lakers kicked things off with a frustrating 10-11 SU and 7-14 ATS skid – which was primarily chalked up to growing pains due to the groundbreaking acquisition of Russell Westbrook.

Los Angeles has maintained a similarly deficient pace throughout January though, considering the Lakers are just 14-13 SU and 13-14 ATS across their last 27 games – yet seemingly still retain the confidence of the oddsmakers, considering L. A. was favored in 20 of those affairs.

I’ll back Charlotte at home here, as L. A. has been incredibly difficult to trust recently, considering Lakers are 3-5 SU in their last five games, while scoring just 108 PPG during that span – setting the stage for a tough road back-to-back against a Hornets squad that’s averaging roughly 114 PPG across that same timeframe.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. CHARLOTTE HORNETS BETTING ODDS

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LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. CHARLOTTE HORNETS BETTING RESOURCES

• Matchup: Pacific vs. Southeast
• Date: Friday, January 28, 2022
• Venue: Spectrum Center
• Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
• TV-Time: ESPN - 7:30 p.m. ET
• Injury Report

LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 24-24
• ATS: 20-28
• O/U: 26-21-1

Regardless of the circumstances, hovering near .500 is a disappointment for this new-look Lakers’ squad, but to be fair, they’ve been banged up from the start, so it’s tough to write them off completely, considering Anthony Davis has already missed 20 games this season – while Lebron James has missed 20.

Despite their shortcomings, the Lakers tread at ninth in the West with a record of 24-24 SU, which positions them in the middle of a tight cluster with the Mavericks (28-21), Nuggets (26-21), Clippers (25-25) and Timberwolves (24-23).

There’s still time for the Lakers to turn things around and push for higher seeding; they just need to get healthy first – and ultimately, shoot the ball better, considering L. A. currently ranks 23rd in offensive efficiency and 15th in three-point percentage (1.056 OE, 34.9 % 3FG) – which are especially crippling marks for a squad that also ranks 17th in defensive efficiency (1.067 DE).

CHARLOTTE HORNETS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 27-22
• ATS: 30-19
• O/U: 25-23-1

After last year’s underwhelming 33-39 SU showing, the Hornets stumbled out to another mediocre start to this season, as Charlotte opened with a similarly pedestrian 5-7 SU skid – despite generating a sturdy 114.2 PPG offensively during that timeframe.

The Hornets quickly flipped the script in November though, and haven’t turned back since, considering Charlotte enters Friday’s contest riding an impressive 22-15 SU run – despite getting tagged as underdogs in 25 of those contests.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. CHARLOTTE HORNETS HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Lakers swept a two-game regular-season set against Charlotte last year, with both matchups staying under the total at an average of 207.5 PPG. The most recent meeting between these teams took place back in November of this season though, which resulted in a thrilling overtime victory for the Lakers at Staples Center (126-123 OT).

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

• LAL: LeBron James - SF (29.1 PPG, 7.7 REB, 6.3 AST)
• LAL: Russell Westbrook - PG (18.5 PPG, 8 REB, 7.7 AST)
• CHA: Miles Bridges - PF (20.1 PPG, 7.3 REB, 3.4 AST)
• CHA: LaMelo Ball - PG (19.4 PPG, 7.3 REB, 7.7 AST)

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. CHARLOTTE HORNETS BETTING CONCLUSION

After stomping the Pacers by 30 on Wednesday night, the Hornets enter Friday’s contest as narrow home favorites over the visiting Lakers – marking the fifth straight games Charlotte has been favored in.

I’ll back Charlotte at home here, as the Hornets have cranked up the heat offensively as of late, currently averaging 115 PPG across their latest 8-3 SU stretch – likely presenting a steep uphill battle for a relatively underwhelming Lakers squad playing on the second half of a road back-to-back on Friday night.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. CHARLOTTE HORNETS BETTING TRENDS

• The Lakers are 6-0 ATS in their last six matchups against Charlotte.
• The Hornets are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games.
• The Lakers are 3-6 ATS in their last nine games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 12 of the last 17 Hornets' games.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson