The Charlotte Hornets are 1-1 out of the All-Star break, but there has been a concerning trend for them all season long.

Charlotte is 1-18 when LaMelo Ball doesn’t play this season, a terrible mark and a big reason why it is in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

While Charlotte beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, the Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Lakers in their first game out of the break on Thursday. 

Portland has been a scrappy young team that is showing that it could be closer to a play-in berth than many expected before the season started.

Oddsmakers have favored the Blazers at home in this one. 

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this interconference matchup.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Moneyline

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Hornets Injury Report

Trail Blazers Injury Report

Charlotte Hornets Best NBA Prop Bet

If you’re looking for a Hornets player to bet on in the prop market, Nick Smith Jr. is a player to fade on Saturday.

After sitting out the second leg of a back-to-back on Thursday night, LaMelo Ball likely will return on Saturday, which should take a lot of playing making out of Smith’s role. As it is, the second-year guard is averaging just 2.8 assists per game over his last 16 games (all starts), posting just five games with more than three assists. 

Portland Trail Blazers Best NBA Prop Bet

Dating back to Dec. 30, Camara is averaging 12.2 points on 9.3 shots per game for the Blazers, hitting 48.7 percent of his shots from the field and 38.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

The Blazers have a lot of mouths to feed in this young group, but Camara has started each of his last 24 games and is playing 34.8 minutes per game over that stretch. He’s a high-floor player to bet on against Charlotte. 

These are two of the best UNDER teams in the NBA so far this season, as the Hornets have hit the UNDER more than any other team (34-20) while the Blazers are 28-26-2 to the UNDER this season. 

Over their last 10 games, the Hornets are dead last in the NBA in offensive rating, and these two teams are 28th (Charlotte) and 24th (Portland) in those metrics in the 2024-25 campaign. 

The Hornets have failed to clear this total in five of their last seven games while the Blazers have failed to in four of their last six.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see the defenses thrive in this game since Portland is ninth in defensive rating over its last 10 and Charlotte is 15th. 

Pick: UNDER 219.5 (-110)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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