Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 12/23/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Friday, December 23, 2022

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

The Charlotte Hornets are hitting the road to Crypto.com Arena on Friday where they will take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Hornets played the Clippers and took a loss by a final of 126-105 in their last contest. Charlotte finished the game with a 40.2% FG percentage (37 of 92) and knocked down 9 out of their 31 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Hornets converted 22 of 29 attempts for a rate of 75.9%. In relation to rebounding, they collected 40 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 25 assists for the contest as well as forcing the other team into 27 turnovers and having 15 steals. When it comes to the defense, Charlotte allowed their opponent to shoot 50.6% from the floor on 41 out of 81 shooting. Los Angeles recorded 29 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. Furthermore, Los Angeles had 48 rebounds (5 offensive, 43 defensive) and had 2 rejections. Los Angeles finished the contest at 91.3% at the charity stripe by knocking down 21 of 23 tries. They also buried 23 of their 49 tries from distance. When it comes to fouls, the Hornets ended up with 18 while the Clippers racked up 22 fouls.

LaMelo Ball is one player who was important in this matchup. He left the arena with 25 points on 10 of 26 shooting. He was on the court for 37 minutes and collected 11 rebounds. Ball walked away from this one shooting 38.5% from the floor and also dished out 12 assists.

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Charlotte enters this one with a record of 8-24 this season. They are averaging 110.6 points per contest (25th in basketball) while shooting 44.3% from the floor. The Hornets are connecting on 32.3% on 3-point shots (337 of 1,043) and 74.4% from the free throw line. As a team, Charlotte is collecting 45.7 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 787 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 13th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.0 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 21.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Hornets are forcing 15.6 turnovers every game and they draw 21.0 personal fouls. They currently rank 28th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 845 conceded for the campaign. The Hornets defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 48.0% (1,367 of 2,850) and they concede 46.3 rebounds per game as a squad. They are relinquishing 36.1% from beyond the arc and they are 27th in the league in points per game allowed (117.7).

In their last game, the Lakers took a defeat with a final score of 134-120 when they faced the Kings. The Lakers were able to corral 34 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 39 for this contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 15 times, while getting 6 steals in this matchup. The Kings had 23 fouls in this contest which took the Lakers to the charity stripe for a total of 30 tries. They were able to knock down 25 of the free throws for a rate of 83.3%. In the matter of shots from distance, Los Angeles converted 11 of their 24 tries (45.8%). At the conclusion of this game, the Lakers went 42 for 84 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. The Lakers allowed the Kings to convert 48 of 95 attempts from the field which had them shooting 50.5% in this matchup. They went 36.2% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 17 of 47 and finished the contest at 21 of 28 from the free throw line (75.0%). With respect to how they cleaned up the glass, Los Angeles allowed Sacramento to collect 46 in total (10 offensive).

LeBron James was important for the Lakers in this contest. He knocked down 11 of 21 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 52.4%, and earned 6 rebounds. James totaled 31 points in his 34 mins on the court and had 11 dimes in the matchup.

Los Angeles has a win-loss record of 13-18 so far this year. The Lakers have committed 18.5 fouls every game while shooting 79.8% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 24.6 times per contest (16th in the league) and they turn it over 14.5 times per contest. Los Angeles has accounted for 3,573 pts this season (115.3 per contest) and they collect 44.9 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Lakers are shooting 47.6% from the field, which is 11th in the league.

The Los Angeles defense surrenders 34.7% on 3-pointers (391 of 1,128) and opponents are converting on 76.4% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 26.1 assists and 46.5 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 24th and 29th in the NBA. The Lakers defensively are ranked 26th in the NBA in PPG given up with 117.3. They are able to force 13.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 46.8% from the field (14th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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