Charlotte Hornets look to even season series against the Lakers in Los Angeles
It’s a new year and the Charlotte Hornets have started it off right. Can they keep that going against a struggling Lakers team?
Any time an Eastern team faces a Western team is always interesting because they’ll only meet twice a season. Different venues, unfamiliar teams, and foreign playstyles make watching them feel a little special for the fans. Sadly, Charlotte Hornets fans had little to be happy about in their (14-23) first meeting against the Los Angeles Lakers (11-26).
The Lakers won that game 110-99 behind Jordan Clarkson‘s 22 points. It was a close game with about 6 minutes to go, but the Lakers pulled away in the end. Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 23 points and Dwight Howard poured in 21 and 12 rebounds.
The Hornets’ last game was a victory against the Sacramento Kings. It was a rout as the Hornets beat the Kings 131-111. They are 12th in the East. The Lakers are coming off a 96-133 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are last in the West.
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Los Angeles Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets
10:30 p.m. EST, Friday, January 5th, 2018
Staples Center
Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Cody Zeller – Knee (Out)
Steve Clifford
LA:
Lonzo Ball – Shoulder (Questionable)
Things to keep an eye on:
In my opinion, I think the first game against the Lakers was an anomaly, but this is the Hornets we are talking about. They’ve lost to teams that they should have beaten before. Still, I think the Hornets will want to play with a sense of urgency. We’re in January now and there’s not much time left to turn the season around. This may be Lonzo Ball’s first game back after injuring his shoulder nearly two weeks ago. It’ll be interesting to see how much playing time he’ll get.
Keys to the game:
In the first game, Kyle Kuzma outrebounded Dwight with 14 rebounds. Dwight did have five personal fouls, though, so he’ll need to play more disciplined ball. Speaking of fouls, the Lakers shot 21 free throws, compared to the Hornets’ 14. Both teams are in the bottom of the league in terms of free throw percentage, with the Lakers being dead last. This may come down to who makes their free throws and who doesn’t. Both teams are also near the bottom in three-point percentage, with the Lakers, yet again, being last. Unfortunately, Charlotte ranks 29th in field goal percentage as well, so they will need to try and get open shots.
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This is a game the Hornets can win, but we’ve said that before. If they can play sound defense and work to get open shots, they should be fine. Hopefully, it will be worth staying up for.