Washington Wizards vs. Charlotte Hornets Picks and Predictions, Saturday, January 24th, 2026
Use Code WWWC The Washington Wizards (10-33) and the Charlotte Hornets (17-28) renew their Southeast Division rivalry on Saturday afternoon in this Wizards vs. Hornets prediction. These teams met twice already this season, with Charlotte winning both games, one home and one away. Washington is coming off a 107-97 home loss against Denver, falling as 6.5-point underdogs. Charlotte is fresh off a strong road win in Orlando, taking the game 124-97 and winning outright as 4.5-point dogs. Tipoff is set for 12:00 EST, which was moved due to the impending snow storm. Keep reading to see our Wizards vs. Hornets prediction, and check out all of our winning NBA Picks.
Washington Drops Eight Straight
The Washington Wizards are still searching for the level of success they had back in the John Wall, or Gilbert Arenas days, but they are not there yet. The Wizards have lost each of their last eight games, and seem destined for the lottery again as the team cannot seem to fight for a playoff spot in recent years. In their last game, Washington got 20 points and 12 boards from Keyonte George in the loss to Denver.
George is a 22-year old guard out of Miami, he is a 6'8 wing averaging 15.6 PPG to go with 5.8 RPG and 5.0 APG. He has scored 18 or more in each of his last three games. Washington traded for Trae Young, but he has yet to play his first game with the franchise as he is still fighting his quadricep injury. Alex Sarr is their former number two overall pick, the 20-year old continues to improve and is averaging 17.2 PPG and 7.4 RPG on the year. Tre Johnson has been an excellent rookie, the 19-year old is scoring 12.6 PPG on the perimeter.
Bilal Coulibaly is another young prospect on the wing getting 10.1 PPG, and Bub Carrington is scoring 9.8 PPG as a 20-year old guard out of Pitt. Washington is currently ranked 30th in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. The Wizards rank 11th in the league in possessions per game.
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Hornets Balance Their Lineup
The Charlotte Hornets have a lot of young pieces on their team that they can build around, but the most noticeable name is LaMelo Ball, but the Hornets have been trying to figure out what to do with their star lately. Ball has been coming off the bench for the first time in his career recently, which questions what the coaching staffs' opinions are of their productive point guard. In their last game, Ball started and scored 16 points in their win over Orlando.
Ball is averaging 19.3 PPG this season and leading the team with 7.5 APG. The Hornets are not afraid to launch from deep, and Ball helps to lead that charge as he shoots 9.2 threes per game while knocking down 3.3 of those attempts. Kon Knueppel is in the running for Rookie of the Year, he is another outside shooter getting 19.0 PPG. Despite all these headlines, Brandon Miller is their top scorer, the former number two overall pick is scoring 20.0 PPG this year with the Hornets.
The Hornets rank 7th in offensive efficiency and 23rd in defensive efficiency. The Hornets play slower than the Wizards, ranking 21st in the league in possessions per game.
Injury Report for Wizards vs. Hornets:
Wizards:
- Out: Trae Young, Cam Whitmore, Marvin Bagley, AJ Johnson
- Questionable: Bilal Coulibaly, Khris Middleton
Hornets:
- Out: Mason Plumlee
- Questionable: Brandon Miller, Ryan Kalkbrenner
Wizards vs. Hornets Picks and Predictions
Spread pick for Wizards vs. Hornets
- Hornets to cover(5 units)
The Wizards are running on fumes, they have lost all of their last eight games coming into this matchup, and will be without their top players. Washington has still not been able to capitalize on the Trae Young trade, as the former All-Star has yet to suit up for the Wizards, and will not play in this game either. Charlotte still has four scorers getting over 18 points per game, and LaMelo Ball is the type of player to try to make a statement against weaker teams. Expect the Hornets to roll here.
Take Charlotte to cover.
Over/Under Pick for Wizards vs. Hornets
- Under (4 units)
The Wizards are trying to reinvent themselves in the middle of the season, but without Trae Young, it has been a rocky experience. Washington is left without an elite scorer, and will want to slow this game down against Charlotte, and the Hornets are facing their own problems offensively as well. Charlotte brought LaMelo off the bench recently, which was enough to signify that the team is not operating at their highest level. Neither of these teams are a well oiled machine, expect a low scoring game here.
Take the under.
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