Hornets vs. Thunder Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Monday, Jan. 5

OKC has lost just one game at home in the 2025-26 season.

Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel is a solid prop target on Monday. / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are favored at home – where they have just one loss this season – against the Charlotte Hornets.

LaMelo Ball and the Hornets are playing better as of late, winning five of their last 10 games despite sitting in the No. 12 spot in the Eastern Conference. 

OKC is playing the second night of a back-to-back after losing on a Devin Booker buzzer beater against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Since losing to the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas Day, the Thunder have rattled off four wins in five games, but they haven’t maintained the pace from early in the season when they won 24 of their first 25 games. 

Charlotte has some intriguing young pieces, including Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel, but oddsmakers aren’t expecting it to keep up with the defending champs. 

Here’s a look at the latest odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for Monday’s contest. 

Hornets vs. Thunder Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Hornets +15.5 (-110)
• Thunder -15.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Hornets: +700
• Thunder: -1100

Total

• 233.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Hornets vs. Thunder How to Watch

• Date: Monday, Jan. 5
• Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Paycom Center
• How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local)
• Hornets record: 12-23
• Thunder record: 30-6

Hornets vs. Thunder Injury Reports

Hornets Injury Report

• Moussa Diabate – questionable
• Ryan Kalkbrenner – out
• Kon Knueppel – questionable
• Brandon Miller – probable
• Mason Plumlee – out
• Tidjane Salaun – questionable
• KJ Simpson – out
• Grant Williams – out

Thunder Injury Report

• Not submitted yet 

Hornets vs. Thunder Best NBA Prop Bet

Hornets Best NBA Prop Bet

• Kon Knueppel OVER 15.5 Points (-125)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m taking Knueppel at a discounted number against OKC: 

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel is listed as questionable against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, but I think he’s worth a shot at this discounted number if he’s able to play.

Knueppel is averaging 19.4 points per game this season while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 42.8 percent from 3-point range. He’s scored at least 16 points in 10 consecutive games and 25 of his 34 games so far this season.

While this is a tough matchup against an OKC team that is No. 1 in the league in defensive rating, Knueppel is taking nearly 14 shots per game and has shown 16 points is much closer to his floor than it is his ceiling.

Usually this prop would be anywhere between 17.5 and 19.5 points depending upon the matchup, so I’m very willing to buy low on the Hornets rookie to come close to his season average on Monday.  

Hornets vs. Thunder Prediction and Pick

This may seem crazy, but I’m fading the Thunder at home – even though the Hornets are one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference.

OKC is just 1-5 against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back, and it already had a loaded injury report on Sunday before taking on the Suns (and losing).

The Hornets are actually 10-6 against the spread as road dogs this season, and they've posted an averaging scoring margin of just -2.1 points in those games. 

On top of that, Charlotte is playing some better basketball as of late, going 5-5 over its last 10 while ranking 13th in the NBA in net rating.

I don’t think the Hornets will win this game outright, but 15.5 points is a hefty price to lay with the Thunder coming off a loss. OKC has an average scoring margin of +17.8 at home this season, but just +3.2 on the second night of a back-to-back. 

Pick: Hornets +15.5 (-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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