Charlotte Hornets Odds

The Charlotte Hornets odds are off the board after being eliminated from playoff contention. They are currently one of the five most likely teams to earn the top overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Charlotte was likely always angling towards the lottery after Miles Bridges was suspended prior to the season. LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward have missed significant time this season. Ball was lost for the year to an ankle injury in late February. 

Charlotte Hornets odds

View Charlotte Hornets odds below. Click to bet now.

Hornets NBA title odds

Like several franchises, the Hornets will hope to land the No. 1 overall pick and select French sensation Victor Wenbanyama this June. Charlotte has a 12.5% chance to win the lottery, which is scheduled for May 16. Scoring Wenbanyama (-20000 to be selected first) could give the Hornets a boost in terms of their title odds next season. 

Hornets roster

• LaMelo Ball: After playing in high school with his brother, Lonzo, and playing professionally in Lithuania, Ball was taken third overall in 2020 and won Rookie of the Year. He was named to the All-Star team in 2021 and averaged 23.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 8.4 APG over 36 games in the 2022-23 season before suffering a fractured ankle. 

• James Bouknight: The 6-foot-4 shooting guard flashed tremendous potential at UConn and was taken 11th overall by the Hornets in 2021. Bouknight has struggled to find offensive consistency in the NBA with 35.6% FG shooting over two seasons. 

• Gordon Hayward: Hayward was a half-court heave away from leading Butler to an NCAA Championship, then went ninth overall to Utah in 2010. After starring with the Jazz he signed a big contract with the Celtics and suffered a horrific ankle injury in his debut. The Hornets signed him to a 4-year deal worth $120 million in 2020. 

• Kai Jones: The 6-foot-11 forward out of Texas was taken 19th overall in 2021 and given a rookie extension through 2024. Jones is a new-age NBA center with quick feet and the ability to guard pick-and-roll sets. 

• Theo Maledon: Oklahoma City traded for Maledon after he was drafted by the 76ers and then released the 6-foot-5 guard after a solid season. Malden signed a two-way contract with Charlotte prior to this season and has appeared in 41 games.  

• Cody Martin: While his twin brother, Caleb, is playing a key role for Miami, Cody has dealt with a knee injury that has limited him to seven games this season. The 6-foot-6 wing out of Nevada was taken by the Hornets in the second round of the 2019 draft. 

• Bryce McGowens: McGowens is a 6-foot-6 rookie out of Alabama getting his shot to showcase his skills on a rebuilding team. 

• Svi Mykhailiuk: The 6-foot-7 Ukranian sharpshooter played at Kansas and was taken in the second round by the Lakers in 2018. Mykhaliuk was shipped to the Hornets in February as part of a three-team deal involving the Blazers and Knicks. 

• Terry Rozier: Rozier had some impressive moments during his early career with the Celtics and he was due for a payday. The Hornets outbid Boston easily with a 4-year deal worth $96 million and he’s being paid on an increasing scale. 

• Kelly Oubre Jr.: Oubre Jr. broke out with Washington and Phoenix, but was a failed addition to the Warriors in the 2020-21 season. The Hornets signed the athletic lefty to a 2-year deal worth $25 million ahead of the 2021-22 season. 

• Nick Richards: Richards is a 7-footer out of Kentucky with the ability to finish and rebound well at his position. His playing time has ramped up over the final few months of the season.  

• Dennis Smith Jr.: Taken ninth overall by Dallas in 2017, Smith Jr. was cast off by several teams and reportedly considered trying out for the NFL before he landed a one-year deal with the Hornets. 

• JT Thor: Thor is a rangy 6-foot-9 forward who was taken by the Pistons in the second round of the 2021 draft.  

• P.J. Washington: Washington is a competitive stretch four with good efficiency numbers over his first four seasons with the Hornets.  

• Mark Williams: The Hornets drafted Williams 15th overall out of Duke this year to try and shore up a leaky frontcourt defense that has been pulverized by centers in recent seasons. 

Who are the best players on the Hornets?

LaMelo Ball: Has quickly emerged as one of the most exciting point guards in the NBA when he averaged 15.7 PPG and 6.1 APG as a rookie. His production has been sporadic on the defensive end, but the 6-foot-7 guard is clearly a building block for Charlotte. 

Terry Rozier: Has stepped up alongside Ball as a good secondary ball-handler and scoring option. Rozier played in 63 games this season and averaged 21.1 points, 5.1 assists along with 4.1 rebounds per game.

Hornets props

At TheLines.com, the Prop Finder Tool provides an easy way to check all the betting options for Hornets odds on players and other teams by aggregating the best odds for any bet at multiple sportsbooks when they become available. There is also a search tool for Team Futures at TheLines, which can be accessed by selecting the “NBA” and “Futures” tabs from the main menu. 

Hornets current season

The Hornets went 15-37 during the first half of the season and never seemed to have designs to compete for a playoff spot. Charlotte might have exceeded expectations in the 2021-22 season, when the Hornets went 43-39 and lost in the play-in tournament for a second consecutive year.

This season, the franchise clearly wanted to try out younger players and angle for ping pong balls in the hopes of scoring one of several elite prospects slated for the draft this June. The Hornets got on a roll in February with five straight wins once Ball and Hayward got healthy. However, injuries quickly put a damper on that success and the front office rested Hayward, Rozier and other veterans down the stretch to get a look at younger players. 

Hornets transactions

• Prior to the season, the Hornets signed Dennis Smith Jr. and LiAngelo Ball to short-term contracts. LaMelo’s oldest brother suited up for Charlotte during Summer League, but has been inactive throughout most of the season. 

• A month after signing his brother, the Hornets exercised their fourth-year option on LaMelo Ball’s rookie contract to secure his services through the 2023-24 season. 

• The Hornets signed former Thunder guard Theo Maledon to a two-way contract in October and the 6-foot-5 guard has been on the roster all season. 

• In February, the Hornets traded veteran center Mason Plumlee to the Clippers in exchange for Reggie Jackson and a 2028 second-round pick. They waived Jackson three days later to create more cap space. 

Charlotte GM Mitch Kupchak has publicly recognized that the Hornets goal going forward is to improve through the draft and by acquiring younger players.

How to bet on the Hornets

When looking at the Hornets odds, you will typically see them as underdogs. The front office continues to rebuild and use lineups consisting mostly of inexperienced players.

Moneyline

Betting on the underdog via the moneyline can offer big payouts if the Hornets are able to pull off some upsets. Say the Charlotte Hornets are playing the Miami Heat. The Hornets odds might look like this:

Hornets +320
Heat -210

The “+” before Charlotte’s odds makes them a big underdog to win this game outright. If they manage to pull the upset, a $100 bet on the Hornets would amount to a $320 win for the bettor on top of the initial $100 wager being returned. Those who back to the Heat will not see as a big of a return as a result of the “-” next to Miami’s number. If you were to bet the same $100 on the Heat, and they win the game, the profit would only be $47.62.

Point spread

With the Hornets not being among the Eastern Conference’s elite teams, there might be a point spread of say +8.5 points with a number of -110 next to it. The latter is the vig or the sportsbook’s cut for taking the bet. With a larger spread such as this, if the Hornets were to lose by eight points or less, the ticket would be a winner. That $100 wager would amount to a $90.91 win on top of the initial bet. However, if Charlotte lost the game by nine points or more, the book would win.

Total points (over/under)

When betting on the total or over/under, it doesn’t matter which teams wins. The final score is the only thing that matters.

In the past few seasons, the Hornets were one of the highest scoring and fastest paced teams in the league. That made their point totals relatively high in the 242-point range. In order to win a bet on going over this total, the Hornets and their opponent had to combine for more than 242.5 points. Without LaMelo Ball, the Hornets offense has slowed down and their defense has been surprisingly stingy, leading to a string of games going under. 

Parlay and teasers

Bets on the moneyline, spread, or point total can be combined into parlays to create bigger payouts. For example, betting on the Hornets to cover 14.5 points and their game to go under 242 points could double the payout if both bets hit, but if either bet fails to hit, there is no payout.

An alternative option would be combining results by using a teaser. This could move the spread to 18.5 points and the total to 246 points to make an under more likely.

Futures

While the Hornets aren’t eligible for the 2022-23 postseason, they will soon have some options in terms of Team Futures. These bets refer to their projected win total next season, odds to make the playoffs, or even the odds to draft a certain player this June. 

Props and live betting

Player proposition bets will continue to be available throughout the NBA season. These wagers offer the opportunity to bet on whether a given player will go over or under a given number of points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers, turnovers, or even blocks or steals.

It’s possible to bet on Hornets games while the action is ongoing by using the live betting feature at books. Spreads, totals, and player props change throughout the game and oddsmakers will consistently adjust the lines to reflect results as the contest unfolds.

Hornets Franchise History

The Hornets joined the NBA in 1988 along with the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. During those early years, Charlotte landed top college stars like Larry Johnson (1991) and Alonzo Mourning (1992) via the NBA Draft. Glen Rice would soon join them. However, the Hornets have yet to really challenge for the NBA title.

The current postseason drought dates back to the 2016 season when the team was eliminated in the first round. The franchise has made just 10 playoff appearances, and has yet to advance past the Eastern Conference semifinals. Some might recall the Hornets briefly being known as the Charlotte Bobcats.

After the 2002 season, the Hornets moved to New Orleans and became the Pelicans. Charlotte would be granted an expansion franchise in 2004 – the Bobcats. The Hornets name would return after Michael Jordan acquired the franchise in 2010. In 2014, Jordan successfully appealed to the NBA to rename the franchise as the Charlotte Hornets.

Fast-forward to 2023, Jordan is reportedly planning to sell his majority stake. Stay tuned.