NBA All-Star Weekend is over and the league will resume play with a one-game offering on Wednesday. The Charlotte Hornets will face off against the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:00 p.m. ET in a rescheduled matchup that was initially delayed because of California’s wildfires. The two teams engaged in trade ahead of this year’s deadline, but it was rescinded after Mark Williams reportedly failed a physical. That unsuccessful transaction left people on both sides upset, and now bettors can look to wager on what could turn into a bit of a grudge game.
Spread: Lakers -13.5 (-110, BetMGM)
The Lakers unexpectedly saw their six-game winning streak come to a close against the Utah Jazz ahead of the All-Star break but shouldn’t lose to another non-playoff team to kick off the back half of the season. Los Angeles has had more time to gel with Luka Doncic playing alongside LeBron James and got back some key wing depth when Dalton Knecht’s move to the Hornets didn’t go through. The Hornets are extremely shorthanded. Williams is still dealing with disappointment after failing to become a Laker and has been away from Charlotte. LaMelo Ball is dealing with yet another ankle tweak. Everything is set up for the Lakers to get back on track with another convincing win, especially when the Hornets have lost three of their previous four road games by double-digits.
Total: Under 224.5 (-110, BetMGM)
Neither of the teams in this matchup has had a great when it comes to scoring the basketball this season, but Charlotte has been abysmal on offense. The Hornets have the league’s third lowest scoring average (106.3) and have scored less than 105 points in six of the seven games they’ve played this month. Doncic can raise the offensive ceiling of Los Angeles, but it doesn’t seem like they’ll have to do much to put away a visiting team that might not have its only elite creator.
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