Warriors vs. Hornets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, Dec. 31

The Warriors are road favorites on Wednesday night.

The Golden State Warriors and guard Stephen Curry are favored on Wednesday. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Steph Curry is back at home in Charlotte and was honored at Davidson College – his alma mater – on Tuesday night. 

Now, Curry and the Golden State Warriors are looking to move to two games over .500 when they take on the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday afternoon.

This New Year’s Eve matchup is a standalone game on NBA TV, as Golden State (6-4 in its last 10 games) looks to continue a strong stretch that has seen it rise to No. 3 in the NBA in defensive rating.

The Hornets, on the other hand, are a few games out of a play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference. They are expected to get rookie star Kon Knueppel (ankle) back in action in this matchup, but will that be enough for Charlotte to pull off an upset?

Here’s a look at the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for this afternoon matchup in the NBA. 

Warriors vs. Hornets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Warriors -6.5 (-108)
• Hornets +6.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Warriors: -258
• Hornets: +210

Total

• 233.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Warriors vs. Hornets How to Watch

• Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31
• Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Spectrum Center
• How to Watch (TV): NBA TV
• Warriors record: 17-16
• Hornets record: 11-21

Warriors vs. Hornets Injury Reports

Warriors Injury Report

• LJ Cryer – out
• Seth Curry – out
• Malevy Leons – out

Hornets Injury Report

• Miles Bridges – questionable
• Ryan Kalkbrenner – out
• Pat Connaughton – questionable
• Kon Knueppel – probable
• Mason Plumlee – out
• Grant Williams – out

Warriors vs. Hornets Best NBA Prop Bet

Warriors Best NBA Prop Bet

• Kon Knueppel OVER 16.5 Points (-119)

In today’s best NBA props column for SI Betting, I shared why the Hornets rookie is worth a look against Golden State: 

After missing Charlotte’s last game with an ankle injury, rookie sensation Kon Knueppel is listed as probable on Wednesday afternoon against the Golden State Warriors, a sign that he’ll be back in action.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is averaging 19.3 points per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 42.8 percent from 3 this season. I love him in the prop market on Wednesday, as his points line is set well below his season average.

Knueppel has 17 or more points in 20 of his 31 games this season, and he had 16 points in less than 16 minutes before going down with the ankle injury in his last appearance. He’s scored 17 or more points in all but three games this month.

Even though Golden State has a top-three defensive rating this season, I think this line is a little low for the star rookie given how efficient he’s been shooting the ball. 

Warriors vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick

This is a must-win game for Steph Curry and the Warriors, who beat the Brooklyn Nets in Brooklyn on the second night of a back-to-back on Monday.

Golden State takes on OKC in its next game, and it can’t afford to fall back under .500 if it still wants a real shot at a top-six seed in the Western Conference. This is simply a game that a playoff team has to win. 

Charlotte ranks 20th in the NBA in net rating this season, and it’s down two bigs in Ryan Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee while one of its leading scores – Miles Bridges – is questionable.

The Warriors have a clean injury report (outside of Seth Curry), putting them in a great spot to pick up a road win. 

The Hornets are 7-9 at home and 9-7 against the spread in those games, but the Warriors are playing some of their best basketball of the season right now, ranking sixth in the league in net rating over their last 10 games.

Pick: Warriors -6.5 (-108 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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