**What:** Charlotte Hornets (14-26) (7-14 away) at Los Angeles Lakers (24-14) (11-7 home)
**When:** 10:30 pm Eastern
**Where:** crypto.com Arena; Los Angeles, CA
**How to watch:** FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
**Outfitting:** Hornets–Icon (teal), Lakers–Icon (yellow)
**Game Lines:** Hornets +5.5, Hornets money line +170, O/U 232.5
**Injuries:**
Hornets: Moussa Diabate-questionable (hip), Collin Sexton-questionable (hamstring), Mason Plumlee-out (groin)
Lakers: Jaxson Hayes-questionable (hamstring), Austin Reaves-out (calf), Adou Thiero-out (knee)
With this game, we’ll reach the halfway point of the season. The Hornets already have their best midseason win total since their play-in season in 2021-22. Every season since, they’ve had right around 10 wins at this point in the season. So while 14 or 15 wins at the midway point is nothing to celebrate, it is at least a tangible step in the right direction.
The Hornets will be taking on the Lakers. They’ve been in Los Angeles for several days now since they played the Clippers on Monday, so they should be well rested. They’ll have to deal with a weird Lakers team. They’re good, but it kind of feels like they’re biding their time until LeBron James retires. Luka Doncic is having an incredible season, so it’s starting to look like the Lakers maybe won that trade. Austin Reaves is too, but he’s been out for a while with a calf issue. LeBron is still sort of LeBron but he’s taken a clear backseat to Luka. The rest of the roster is just, eh.
DeAndre Ayton and Rui Hachimura are the only other players averaging double figures. Jake LaRavia and what’s left of Marcus Smart are the most prominent role players. Dalton Knecht is barely in the rotation. Nick Smith Jr. was in there for a while but his minutes have been reduced lately. Jarred Vanderbilt plays good defense and makes no shots. It’s really just the Luka and LeBron show right now with some occasional cameos by Hachimura and Ayton.
The Hornets will try to bounce back after a hard fought but disappointing loss to the Clippers. That Clippers team is constructed similarly to this Lakers team, so we’ll see if they can do a better job containing this star-heavy approach.
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