The Charlotte Hornets suffered a blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs earlier this month, but Friday’s game could look much different with star rookie Victor Wembanyama ruled out for San Antonio for rest purposes.
Charlotte has lost three straight games by double digits, but the team is favored at home for the fourth time this season. The problem? The Hornets are 0-3 against the spread as home favorites in the 2023-24 campaign.
So, with Wemby out, I’d rather focus on a few players to bet on in the prop market in this matchup.
Here are my favorite plays for Friday, including a prop for Hornets star LaMelo Ball:
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Spurs vs. Hornets best NBA prop bets
- LaMelo Ball UNDER 14.5 rebounds and assists
- Tre Jones UNDER 7.5 assists
- Nick Richards to record a double-double
LaMelo Ball UNDER 14.5 rebounds and assists
This may not be the favorite bet of Charlotte Hornets fans, but LaMelo Ball’s assists and rebounds prop is too high on Friday night.
Ball has played three games since returning from an ankle injury, posting eight, 15 and 12 assists and rebounds in those contests.
The Hornets star is taking plenty of shots, but his assist numbers have been well short of his season average of 7.8 per game. Over this three-game stretch, Ball is averaging 12.0 potential assists per game, nearly two lower than his season-long average of 13.7.
The Spurs are one of the worst defenses in the NBA, but this price is asking Ball to push a triple-double (especially if he doesn’t have huge assist numbers) on Friday. After he recorded just eight rebounds and assists in his last meeting with the Spurs, I’ll take the UNDER.
Tre Jones OVER 7.5 assists
Tre Jones has been thriving for the Spurs since being inserted into the starting lineup, and he has back-to-back games with double-digit assists to show for it.
In his last seven games as a starter, Jones is averaging 13.3 potential assists per game, way up from his season average of 11.0. He’s only cleared 7.5 dimes twice in this seven-game stretch, but I expect him to have the ball in his hands more without Wembanyama in action.
Plus, Charlotte ranks 27th in the NBA in opponent assists per game allowed – giving up 28.0 per night. Jones had seven assists in just 21:38 in the blowout win against Charlotte earlier this month.
Nick Richards to record a double-double
I love Hornets center Nick Richards to have a big game tonight with Wemby sitting on the sidelines – which should open up some chances on the glass.
Richards has seven double-doubles on the season despite playing off the bench to open the year, and he’s coming off a 10-point, 12-rebound game against New Orleans.
With Wemby playing, Richards still managed 12 points and eight boards in just 22:11 of playing time in the blowout loss. If the Hornets can keep this game closer (they should as favorites), Richards should see closer to 30 minutes – giving him a good chance to pick up a double-double.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.