Hornets vs. Lakers Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Jan. 15

Luka Doncic and LeBron James both played on the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday, turning in a dominant showing in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Now, they lead the Los Angeles Lakers into their third game in four nights, this time against the Charlotte Hornets and rookie Kon Knueppel.

Charlotte is outside of the play-in tournament picture in the Eastern Conference, and it’s a road underdog in this matchup against a Lakers team that is hoping to remain in the top six in the West.

L.A. snapped a three-game skid on Tuesday night, and it’ll look to improve to 12-7 at home in the 2025-26 season.

The Lakers won the first meeting between these teams by 10 points back in November, but both teams look a little different at this point in the season due to various injuries.

Let’s examine the odds, a player prop to target and my prediction for Thursday’s clash.

Hornets vs. Lakers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Hornets +4.5 (-118)
Lakers -4.5 (-102)

Moneyline

Hornets: +150
Lakers: -180

Total

233.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Hornets vs. Lakers How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Dec. 15
Time: 10:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
How to Watch (TV): Spectrum Sportsnet, FanDuel Sports Network (Local)
Hornets record: 14-26
Lakers record: 24-14

Hornets vs. Lakers Injury Reports

Hornets Injury Report

Moussa Diabate – questionable
Liam McNeeley – out
Antonio Reeves – out
Mason Plumlee – out
KJ Simpson – out
Collin Sexton – questionable

Lakers Injury Report

Austin Reaves – out
Adou Thiero – out
Jaxson Hayes – questionable

Hornets vs. Lakers Best NBA Prop Bets

Hornets Best NBA Prop Bet

Kon Knueppel OVER 17.5 Points (-118)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why the rookie is worth a look against this Lakers defense:

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel is averaging 19.1 points per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from 3-point range, yet he’s set at just 17.5 points in his prop against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

Knueppel had 19 points on 11 shots against the Lakers earlier this season, and he’s scored 18 or more points in 26 of his 39 games.

This is a great matchup for the Duke product, as the Lakers rank 25th in the NBA in defensive rating this season. Knueppel has not only shot the ball efficiently, but he’s taking 13.7 shots per game, including 8.1 per game from beyond the arc.

He should be able to clear this line for the second time in as many games against L.A. this season.

Hornets vs. Lakers Prediction and Pick

The Lakers have played a ton of clutch games this season, going 13-1, so even if they end up winning this matchup, it may be a close one.

L.A. is just 26th in defensive rating and 23rd in net rating over its last 15 games while the Hornets (eighth in net rating during that stretch) are nearly .500 (7-8) over their last 15.

While I am not willing to bet on the Hornets to win outright, they have been great against the spread this season, going 23-17 overall and 11-7 as road underdogs.

Even with both Luka Doncic and LeBron James set to play in this one, L.A.’s subpar defense makes it a tough team to trust as a two-possession favorite.

The Hornets have either won or lost by three or fewer points in six of their last seven games. I think they can keep that up on Thursday night in L.A.

Pick: Hornets +4.5 (-118 at DraftKings)

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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