Hornets vs. Wizards Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Dec. 19

The Hornets are road favorites against the three-win Wizards tonight.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is a solid prop target tonight. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets welcomed guard LaMelo Ball back into the lineup on Monday night, but they still lost to the Philadelphia 76ers by 13 points – their ninth loss in their last 10 games.

Now, the Hornets find themselves as road favorites on Thursday against the three-win Washington Wizards.

Washington has two wins against the Atlanta Hawks and one win against everyone else, going 2-11 straight up at home in the 2024-25 season.

Washington is in a clear rebuild, playing a ton of young players big minutes, while the Hornets seemed to have their eyes on competing for the play-in tournament before Ball went down with a calf strain a few weeks back.

Now, Charlotte is the No. 13 seed in the East, 3.5 games back of the final play-in spot. So, how should we bet on this matchup?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this Eastern Conference battle. 

Hornets vs. Wizards Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Hornets -3.5 (-110)
• Wizards +3.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Hornets: -170
• Wizards: +142

Total

• 223.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Hornets vs. Wizards How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, Dec. 19
• Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Capital One Arena
• How to Watch (TV): MNMT, Bally Sports
• Hornets record: 7-19
• Wizards record: 3-21

Hornets vs. Wizards Injury Reports

Hornets Injury Report

• Tre Mann – out
• Brandon Miller – questionable
• KJ Simpson – out
• Nick Smith Jr. – out
• Grant Williams – out

Wizards Injury Report

• Saddiq Bey – out
• Carlton Carrington – questionable
• Kyle Kuzma – out

Hornets vs. Wizards Best NBA Prop Bets

Charlotte Hornets Best NBA Prop Bets

• LaMelo Ball OVER 11.5 Assists and Rebounds (-135)

This prop could be a steal for LaMelo Ball, who had 11 assists and five rebounds in his first game back from a calf strain – despite being on a minutes limit. 

Ball is averaging 5.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game this season, clearing 11.5 rebounds and assists in 11 of his last 12 games. He should have a big game against a Washington team that is dead last in opponent rebounds per game and 25th in opponent assists per game. 

Washington Wizards Best NBA Prop Bets

• Alexandre Sarr UNDER 6.5 Rebounds (+105)

I’m taking a shot on a plus-money prop for Alexandre Sarr, as he’s averaging just 6.3 rebounds per game heading into this matchup with Charlotte. 

The Hornets are very solid on the glass, allowing the eighth-fewest opponent rebounds in the league and ranking 11th overall in rebounding percentage. 

Sarr only has seven or more boards in nine of his 22 games this season. 

Hornets vs. Wizards Prediction and Pick

Both of these teams are bad, but the Hornets are a lot better when Ball plays (6-13) than when he doesn’t (1-6). 

In addition to that, Washington is the worst team in the NBA when it comes to net rating and offensive rating, going just 4-9 against the spread as a home underdog. 

While the Hornets aren’t much better – they rank 26th in the NBA in net rating – they do have a little more upside now that Ball is back.

The crazy stat of the week has been that Boston has more wins in Washington than the Wizards do this season, and it’s become extremely evident that Washington is going to try to develop young players rather than play veterans and maybe come away with a few more wins. 

For that reason, I’m going to back Charlotte as long as Ball is good to go again on Thursday. 

Pick: Hornets Moneyline (-170)

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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.