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Charlotte Hornets: 3 takeaways in loss to LA Lakers

By Dylan Jackson

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 08: Kelly Oubre Jr. #12 of the Charlotte Hornets drives to the basket in front of Wayne Ellington #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Staples Center on November 08, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 08: Kelly Oubre Jr. #12 of the Charlotte Hornets drives to the basket in front of Wayne Ellington #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Staples Center on November 08, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE. /
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The Charlotte Hornets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in particularly disappointing fashion on Monday night, falling in overtime by a score of 126-123.

The Hornets are now on a five-game losing streak – the product of poor defensive play and the regression from bench players such as Kelly Oubre and Ish Smith.

Malik Monk didn’t play as much as anticipated in his first game against the Hornets, although he did hit a half-court shot to end the third quarter.

Charlotte Hornets takeaways: LaMelo Ball is firmly the best player on the team.

Tonight, LaMelo Ball secured his second career triple-double, tallying 25 points, 15 boards, and 12 assists on a fairly efficient night (taking 19 total shots). This stat line doesn’t mean much in a loss, but Ball did perform relatively well compared to the rest of the team.

The Hornets gave up a fairly big run with Ball out early in the fourth quarter, and got back in the game when he entered. Head coach James Borrego has seemingly taken Ish Smith out of the rotation with Terry Rozier back – and has staggered both he and Ball’s minutes so at least one of the two is on the floor at any given point.

Charlotte Hornets takeaways: The bench has fallen off of a cliff.

The Charlotte Hornets’ bench has gone into the gutter the past few games, and it more relevant than ever tonight. Every starter had 13+ points, with three guys getting over the 20-point mark. Only three players on the bench got more than 15 minutes – and none had a good game.

Kelly Oubre scored eight points on ten shots, Cody Martin had three points on five shots, and Nick Richards had three points on four shots.

Put simply, if the Hornets want to be a playoff team this season, their bench has to be better against teams such as the Lakers – especially with Los Angeles not having LeBron James.

Charlotte Hornets takeaways: The Hornets need rest.

The Charlotte Hornets season started almost a month ago, on October 20th. Since then, they’ve played in 12 games, and have yet to have two consecutive days of rest – and are on the back end of a west coast road trip.

While it’s understandable that the NBA has had an accelerated schedule following the COVID-19 break in play, it’s unfortunate that most NBA teams are being pushed this hard – especially after a shortened offseason.

Next. Can the Hornets bounce back after losing streak?. dark

The Charlotte Hornets’ next game is against the Grizzlies in Memphis on Wednesday night.

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