Lakers vs. Hornets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Monday, Jan. 27

Fresh off of NBA Rivalry Week wins over the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are on a three-game winning streak and hold the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference entering Monday’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets.

The No. 14 seed in the East, Charlotte has played decently as of late, winning five of its last 10 games and improving to 8-14 straight up at home in the process. The issue?

Charlotte lost Brandon Miller – the second-year wing – for the season due to a torn ligament in his wrist.

Brandon Miller underwent wrist surgery; to miss rest of season.
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) January 23, 2025

That limits Charlotte’s offensive options around LaMelo Ball, and the Hornets find themselves as home dogs on Monday night against Los Angeles.

With the Lakers looking to prove that they are contenders ahead of the trade deadline, how should we bet on this matchup?

Here’s a breakdown of the latest odds, players to target in the prop market and my prediction for Monday’s matchup.

Lakers vs. Hornets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Lakers -6 (-110)
Hornets +6 (-110)

Moneyline

Lakers: -238
Hornets: +195

Total

222 (Over -110/Under -110)

Lakers vs. Hornets How to Watch

Date: Monday, Jan. 27
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Spectrum Center
How to Watch (TV): Spectrum SportsNet, Bally Sports Southeast
Lakers record: 25-18
Hornets record: 12-30

Lakers vs. Hornets Injury Reports

Lakers Injury Report

Anthony Davis – probable
Rui Hachimura – questionable
Jalen Hood-Schifino – out
Bronny James – out
LeBron James – probable
Christian Wood – out
Gabe Vincent – questionable

Hornets Injury Report

Brandon Miller – out
Grant Williams – out
Tre Mann – out
Cody Martin – out
Tidjane Salaun – out
KJ Simpson – out

Lakers vs. Hornets Best NBA Prop Bets

Los Angeles Lakers Best Prop Bet

Austin Reaves OVER 24.5 Points and Assists (-115)

Since D’Angelo Russell was traded, Reaves has taken on a bigger playmaking role for the Lakers. Over his last 11 games (since Jan. 1, he’s averaging 18.5 points and 7.0 assists per game, clearing 24.5 points and assists in six of those games.

Reaves has had some down shooting games in that stretch (5-for-15, 6-for-18, 4-for-16), but he’s getting plenty of attempts. Against a Charlotte defense that is in the bottom half of the NBA, he should have a big game tonight.

Charlotte Hornets Best Prop Bet

Nick Smith Jr. UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-154)

With Brandon Miller out for the season, Nick Smith Jr. is one of the many players who is going to have an expanded role for Charlotte.

However, I’m not sold on him making three or more shots from deep in this matchup. Smith Jr. has only done that three times this season, and he’s shooting an average 35.7 percent from 3.

Since the start of January, Smith is averaging 2.1 made 3s on 5.7 attempts per game. Asking him to hit 3 or more is a little lofty tonight.

Lakers vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick

Charlotte has been playing much better as of late, winning five of its last 10 games, but it’s the Lakers that are No. 4 in the league in net rating over their last six, winning five of those matchups.

Los Angeles is really starting to hit its stride, and the return of Jarred Vanderbilt to the rotation only makes the Lakers a tougher team to beat. After struggling at times on defense this season, Los Angeles now has a true defensive stopper that it can turn to.

The Hornets are 12-9 against the spread as a home underdog this season – a respectable number – but I’m worried about them keeping pace with this Lakers offense now that Miller is done for the season.

Charlotte is just 28th in the NBA in offensive rating this season, and the Lakers are 13th – scratching on the surface of the top 10 in the NBA.

I’ll lay the points with Los Angeles given the hot stretch it has been on to close this month.

Pick: Lakers -6 (-110)

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.