Hornets vs. Thunder Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 29 (OKC Keeps Rising in the Western Conference)

Hornets vs. Thunder Game Info

• Date: Thursday, December 29, 2022
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• Venue: Spectrum Center -- Charlotte, North Carolina
• Coverage: BSSE and BSOK

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Thursday with six more games, including a battle between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Hornets. The Thunder rank 12th in the Western Conference with an 15-19 record, while the Hornets check in 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 9-26 record.

Oklahoma City enters as a victor in four of its last five games after defeating the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 130-114 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Charlotte has now dropped 10 of its last 12 games following a 110-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Which team will win tonight?

Hornets vs. Thunder Odds & Spread

All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Hornets vs Thunder Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Hornets	-1.5	-	-	-	-	-	-118	-100

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: CHA: (-108) | OKC: (-108)
• Spread: CHA: -1 (-110) | OKC: +1 (-110)
• Total: 239 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Hornets enter this contest as slight home favorites on the spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 239 points, which is above average compared to Thursday's projected totals.

Hornets vs. Thunder Betting Trends

• The Hornets put together a 46-34-2 ATS record last year.
• Against the spread, as underdogs of 1.5 points or greater, the Thunder went 45-29-3 last year.
• A total of 41 Hornets games last season hit the over.
• Out of 82 Thunder games last year, 40 hit the over.

Hornets vs. Thunder Prediction & Pick

The Hornets are going to be fighting an uphill battle on Thursday. They return home from a six-game road trip, so fatigue and rust could easily be a factor. They may also be without Kelly Oubre Jr. due to a left hand sprain. The 27-year-old ranks second on the team in scoring (20.6 points per contest).

Facing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an explosive Thunder offense won't help matters, either. OKC is averaging 115.8 points per game (No. 7 in NBA) and set to face a Charlotte defense that allows a whopping 118.0 points per game (No. 28 in NBA). The Hornets rank 26th in defensive efficiency, too.

The Thunder are 14-6 straight up in their last 20 games against the Hornets, so I'll back OKC.

Final Score Prediction: Hornets: 117 | Thunder: 122

Hornets vs. Thunder Best Bet

It's not often that the Thunder find themselves on the right side of a mismatch, but this is one of those times. Oklahoma City is 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last five games overall and 7-2 ATS in its last nine games against an Eastern Conference opponent. Those marks aren't just a fluke.

On the other side, Charlotte is winless in its last five home games and also 5-10 ATS in its 15 games played at the Spectrum Center this year. The Hornets simply do not have the offensive talent to keep up with the Thunder on the scoreboard, so fading them lines up as the best bet on Thursday night.

Bet: Oklahoma City Thunder ML (-108)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.