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The Lakers finally snapped their skid with a statement shooting night, and now they try to stack offense again when the Hornets come to town Thursday. Los Angeles just drilled threes at an unsustainable clip in its last outing, but the bigger takeaway is the energy and pace shift after a flat performance the night before. Charlotte hasn’t been perfect, but it has been competitive. The Hornets have lived in one-possession finishes lately, and that matters when you’re catching points against a team that can swing from ice-cold to nuclear based on shot variance. This handicap is about script. If the Lakers’ ball movement and spacing look like Tuesday again, they’ll score enough to win. If they revert to stagnant

Portland gets Atlanta at home on Thursday night, but the handicap starts with availability. Deni Avdija is doubtful again, and the Blazers are still trying to get Jrue Holiday back to full rhythm after the long calf absence. If Avdija sits, Portland’s offense is easier to steer. The creation and free-throw pressure drop, and the Blazers are more likely to trade quality possessions for turnovers and late-clock shots. Atlanta is coming off a defensive mess, so this is a response spot. If the Hawks show up more connected and more physical, they have a clean path to control the game as a road favorite, especially if Portland is missing its top scorer. Shop the number and monitor movement on the

Calgary closes a rough road trip Thursday night in Chicago, and the angle for bettors is pretty simple: can the Flames bring a full 60 after fading late in multiple spots, or do the Blackhawks’ top-end skill tilt another one at home? Calgary’s been chasing games on this swing and it keeps forcing them into higher-variance scripts, the exact style they usually want to avoid on the road. For Chicago, this sets up as a good timing spot if Connor Bedard is back in the lineup. He’s been a difference-maker against Calgary, and the Blackhawks need points now, not later. The only concern is how much the recent illness wave and a few lineup absences impact their legs early, because

The Utah Mammoth get another home game Thursday in Salt Lake City, and right now they’re playing like a team that’s finally settled into a rhythm. They’ve pushed their point streak to five games, and the 6-1 thumping of Toronto with a 40-20 shot edge is the type of signal I care about as a bettor. Not just the score, but the territorial control. Dallas still sits comfortably higher in the standings, but the form has cooled off. The Stars are 2-4-4 over their last 10, and the road trip grind is starting to show. This is the final stop of a long swing, and they’re coming off a flat 3-1 loss to Anaheim in the second leg of a