Wizards vs Hornets

LaMelo Ball and the Hornets are the side to trust on the moneyline here, with Charlotte playing slightly better basketball of late (4-6 over its last 10) than a Wizards team that’s just 3-7 in that span and buried at the bottom of the East. A Hornets core of Ball, Miles Bridges, Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller has been driving a top-20 offense, while Washington leans heavily on CJ McCollum and rookie playmakers like Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington but still owns one of the league’s worst point differentials at -13.4 (112.7 scored, 126.1 allowed). The injury report tilts toward Charlotte too: the Hornets are missing Grant Williams and managing Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Collin Sexton, yet Washington is thinner up front with Alex Sarr already ruled out in some reports and Marvin Bagley III, Bilal Coulibaly and Cam Whitmore all on the sheet, leaving them vulnerable again on the glass after being hammered by San Antonio’s size. Recent matchup history also favors the home side — Ball erupted for a 38-13-13 triple-double in a 139-113 road blowout of Washington in October, and Bridges has consistently produced around 17 points and 7–8 boards per game against the Wizards, whereas McCollum’s historically solid numbers versus Charlotte haven’t lifted this new Washington group above league-worst territory. Given Charlotte’s stronger roster top end, home court, and massive defensive gap in its favor, Hornets moneyline is the pick, but the expensive -225 price keeps it at a B rather than elite value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/12/2025 09:37am

Washington’s leaky defense combined with Charlotte’s three-happy perimeter attack points me toward the Over 235 despite the already-inflated number. The Wizards are surrendering 126.1 points per game (29th in the league) with a -13.4 differential, and the Hornets give up 119.2 themselves, so their season-long scoring profile already points to a high-220s baseline before accounting for matchup-specific pace and shot profile. Charlotte’s offense leans hard into the arc — hitting 14.6 threes per night at league-average efficiency — while Washington allows opponents to outgun them from deep and just got burned by Ball, Knueppel, Bridges and company for 139 points in their first meeting (252 total points) with Ball’s off-the-dribble shooting and playmaking stretching the Wizards’ weak perimeter defense to its breaking point. Even if Ball or Sexton are limited by nagging issues, the Hornets can still roll out multiple shooters and creators, and Washington’s own scoring punch with McCollum, George, Carrington and a spread floor remains enough to reach the mid-teens offensively against a bottom-four Charlotte defense. Blowout risk and the chance of late scratch news on either side keep this from an A-range wager, but given these defenses, recent head-to-head output and both teams’ tendency to trade threes rather than grind, I still lean Over 235 at a B- grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/12/2025 09:37am

Miles Bridges and Charlotte’s wing-heavy lineup give the Hornets enough two-way edge to lay the -5.5 at home against a Wizards group that’s been routinely blown out. Charlotte may be just 4-6 in its last 10, but Washington’s 3-7 mark in that stretch comes with far uglier margins and a 3-16 record against Eastern Conference opponents, suggesting that when the Wizards lose, they tend to do so decisively rather than in tight, spread-sweating finishes. The Hornets’ offense has already shown how badly it can outclass this defense, dropping 139 in D.C. in October behind Ball’s triple-double and strong contributions from Bridges and the rookie shooters; Bridges in particular has historically tormented Washington with roughly 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game across his career. On the other side, Washington’s frontcourt depth is compromised with Sarr out and Bagley, Coulibaly and Whitmore all dinged up, which makes it harder for them to finish defensive possessions or punish Charlotte inside even if Plumlee or Kalkbrenner are limited — an important factor when you’re hoping a big underdog can backdoor a number. With the Hornets boasting the clearly better net rating, more reliable late-game shot creation and home court in a building where Ball’s range and Bridges’ downhill game play up, Charlotte -5.5 (-110) earns a B as a reasonable balance of win probability and price. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/12/2025 09:37am