Hawks vs. Hornets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Dec. 18

The Hawks are 10-6 on the road this season.

The Atlanta Hawks and forward Jalen Johnson are favored on Thursday night. / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are eighth in the Eastern Conference heading into Thursday’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets, who are just 8-18 in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Atlanta is an impressive 10-6 on the road, and oddsmakers are giving the Hawks the edge in this matchup with Charlotte clocking in at No. 21 in the NBA in net rating. 

Trae Young has returned to practice for Atlanta after suffering a knee injury early in the season, but he’s listed as questionable for this matchup. 

Charlotte has an impressive rookie in Kon Knueppel, and it’s likely going to finish in the mix for the play-in tournament in the East if LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are able to stay on the floor – although that is far from a guarantee. 

Let’s take a look at the odds, my favorite prop bet and a prediction for Thursday night’s Eastern Conference battle. 

Hawks vs. Hornets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Hawks -5.5 (-110)
• Hornets +5.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Hawks: -205
• Hornets: +170

Total

• 237.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Hawks vs. Hornets How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, Dec. 18
• Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Spectrum Center
• How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local)
• Hawks record: 15-12
• Hornets record: 8-18

Hawks vs. Hornets Injury Reports

Hawks Injury Report

• Trae Young – questionable
• Kristaps Porzingis – out
• Nikola Djurisic – out
• N’Faly Dante – doubtful
• Caleb Houstan – doubtful
• Eli John Ndiaye – out

Hornets Injury Report

• LaMelo Ball – questionable
• Pat Connaughton – out
• Liam McNeeley – out
• Tre Mann – out
• Collin Sexton – out
• Grant Williams – out
• Drew Peterson – out
• Antonio Reeves – out

Hawks vs. Hornets Best NBA Prop Bets

Hornets Best NBA Prop Bet

• Kon Knueppel 18+ Points (-138)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m buying the Hornets rookie in this matchup: 

Rookie guard Kon Knueppel has been awesome for the Charlotte Hornets this season, as he's averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc.

LaMelo Ball (questionable) is up in the air on Thursday, and Knueppel has thrived when the star guard is out of the lineup. This season, he's averaging 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 10 games with Ball sidelined, and he could be in line for a major workload on Thursday.

Knueppel also had 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting in his last matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, and he's scored 18 or more points in 16 of his 26 games overall this season.

Hawks vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick

I’m buying the Hawks in this matchup, especially if Young is able to return to the lineup.

Ball is on the injury report still for the Hornets, who have gone just 3-7 in the 10 games that he’s missed. 

Atlanta has thrived on the road, going 10-6 against the spread and straight up. In fact, Atlanta has been much better on the road than at home (5-6) so far this season.

Young’s potential return would raise the offensive ceiling for the Hawks, and Atlanta outranks the Hornets in net rating by a pretty wide margin, +0.5 to -3.5, this season. 

This spread has moved in Atlanta’s favor since Young was listed as questionable, a sign that the betting market is expecting him to play. I love the Hawks to cover in this Eastern Conference matchup. 

Pick: Hawks -5.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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