Hornets vs Clippers

Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers enter this one on a two-game win streak, back home at Intuit Dome after road wins in Brooklyn and Detroit that moved them to 15-23 and kept them in the Western play-in conversation.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/la-clippers)) Even with Bradley Beal done for the year and Bogdan Bogdanovic plus Derrick Jones Jr. sidelined, Leonard and James Harden are driving an attack averaging 111.9 points per game, and they already torched Charlotte for 131 points in November when Harden dropped 55 in a 15-point road win.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/la-clippers)) Charlotte has some momentum after snapping its skid with a 150-95 demolition of Utah to reach 14-25, and with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges powering a 116.3-points-per-game offense, the Hornets are dangerous but still leaky defensively and have already shown they can be overwhelmed by this Clippers core.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/cha/charlotte-hornets)) At -200 the price isn’t cheap, yet when you combine L.A.’s current form, home-court edge, and matchup history, the Clippers moneyline earns a B+ as a solid, relatively high-probability anchor leg rather than a huge value play; Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 12/01/2026 08:39

LaMelo Ball’s Hornets have leaned hard into pace and offense, averaging 116.3 points per game and erupting for 150 in Utah after a run of tight, high-scoring games against Indiana and Toronto that highlighted both their shot-making and defensive volatility.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/cha/charlotte-hornets)) The Clippers are at 111.9 points per night and have rediscovered their scoring punch with recent outputs of 121 and 98 on the road and 103 at home, plus that earlier 131-116 shootout in Charlotte that sailed past this same neighborhood of total.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/la-clippers)) Injuries to secondary scorers like Beal and Bogdanovic do trim L.A.’s upside a bit, but with Kawhi and Harden rolling and Charlotte’s defense still giving up big numbers to quality offenses, Over 223.5 at -110 gets a B grade as a modestly positive-value play that carries meaningful variance tied to shooting and whether a blowout shortens fourth-quarter minutes; Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 12/01/2026 08:39

James Harden’s 55-point explosion with 10 made threes in the first meeting—fueling a 131-116 Clippers win—showed just how badly Charlotte’s perimeter defense can struggle against his pick-and-roll control and the interior size of Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401810123/clippers-hornets)) With L.A. riding a two-game heater at 15-23 and Charlotte at 14-25 but only recently snapping a rough stretch via that massive Jazz blowout, the situational edges in momentum and travel still favor the home side laying a short number.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/la-clippers)) Given the earlier 15-point margin, the Clippers’ improved form, and the Hornets’ tendency to fade defensively late, -4.5 at -110 is my preferred spread position, but I cap it at a B- because of backdoor-cover risk if Charlotte’s shooters stay hot and because any late Kawhi downgrade from day-to-day would swing this line dramatically; Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 12/01/2026 08:39