The Charlotte Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers will play the first game in the league since the All-Star break. The Lakers are the hosts for this contest against a lowly Hornets squad that is looking to pull off an upset on the road. Will Los Angeles handle its business after a long rest? Or, will the Hornets pull off a shocker?
Catch this game live on Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM, Manila time
Away: Charlotte Hornets (13-39, 4-19 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- LaMelo Ball (Probable)
- Nick Smith Jr.
- Josh Green
- Miles Bridges
- Mark Williams (Probable)
The Hornets are emerging from the All-Star break just like they entered it – still bad. Charlotte is on a three-game losing streak and has won just a game in its last 10 games. The Hornets have Cooper Flagg written all over their faces, but that doesn’t automatically mean that the Lakers can overlook Charlotte.
During the first meeting between the Hornets and the Lakers, Charlotte lost by just five points (112-107) at home and that’s despite LaMelo Ball exiting the contest in the second quarter with an ankle injury and Anthony Davis going off for 42 points and 23 boards. Davis is gone and Ball is probable to play this Thursday – good signs for the Hornets, who are 10th in the league with 111.8 points allowed per game and fourth with 54.0 rebounds per outing.
The Hornets are also a hit-and-miss team when it comes to covering after a loss, as they are 19-19 against the spread in games following a defeat so far in the 2024-25 NBA season.
The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last five home games versus the Hornets.
Home: Los Angeles Lakers (32-20, 19-6 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- Luka Doncic
- Austin Reaves
- Rui Hachimura
- LeBron James (Questionable)
- Jaxson Hayes
The Lakers cooled off a bit when they suffered a 131-119 road loss to the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City just before the All-Star break. There is also some concern about the status of LeBron James, with the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player abruptly deciding to sit out the All-Star Game due to foot and ankle issues. He is considered questionable at the time of this writing, but whether he plays or not versus the Hornets, the Lakers should be able to handle business against arguably the worst team in the league.
Luka Doncic’s minute restriction has also been lifted, which tells a lot about his improving form. Although the Lakers don’t have Davis anymore and their frontcourt is much less of a threat these days, the likes of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Doncic can find plenty of ways to do damage to the Hornets, who are just 28th in the league with 106.3 points per game.
Picks
Spread: Charlotte Hornets (+12)
Over/Under: Over (226.5)
