NBA Picks: New Orleans Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have won 16 of their last 20 regular-season home games against the New Orleans Hornets, which is hard to ignore when making your NBA picks Tuesday night, as the two teams prepare to face off at the Staples Center.

Sports bettors will find that the Lakers are nine-point home favorites in the pro basketball odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total stands at 198 in the market.

Let's take a closer look at this Western Conference matchup from a betting perspective, while offering up an against-the-spread pick along the way.

New Orleans Hornets

The New Orleans Hornets have dropped 19 of 23 games away from home this season against Western Conference foes, but they managed to earn a 95-92 victory over the Phoenix Suns as 2.5-point road favorites Sunday.

Sports bettors will find that the Hornets have dropped all three meetings with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2012-13 campaign, as they've allowed at least 103 points in each contest.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers had their three-game winning streak snapped Sunday, as they suffered a 109-95 setback to the Los Angeles Clippers as 4.5-point underdogs.

Over the last two-plus seasons, the Lakers are 19-21 against the spread as home favorites of 6.5 to nine points, with the OVER going 22-18 in that situation.

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers back the New Orleans Hornets as one of their pro basketball picks Tuesday, as they've covered the number in four of their last five road games against the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA Pick: New Orleans Hornets +9

Follow Jeff Grant on Twitter: @JeffGrantSports