Hornets Triumph Over Lakers as LaMelo Ball Shines
LaMelo Ball was found by his locker vibing with a dance, grinning, waving his arms, and shaking his shoulders.
He scored 27 of his 30 points during the second half, knocking down nine 3-pointers. This effort propelled the Hornets to a 135-117 victory over the Lakers on Thursday.
For the Lakers, this marked their fourth loss in five games, with two of these defeats this week against teams like the 12th-ranked Hornets and the 14th-ranked Kings.
It’s becoming quite clear: the Lakers are in need of some assistance.
Luka Doncic had an impressive night with 39 points, alongside four assists and three rebounds. LeBron James added 29 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, but that just wasn’t sufficient.
No other Lakers player managed to score 20 points, and stopping the Hornets’ shooting onslaught, which featured Ball, Brandon Miller with 26 points, and Miles Bridges with 25 points, proved to be impossible.
The Lakers are struggling with perimeter defense, especially as they miss Austin Reaves due to a calf strain, so they clearly need more scoring options.
Lakers coach JJ Redick remained optimistic despite facing the team’s worst slump of the season, acknowledging recent challenges.
“I thought we put up a fight,” Reddick remarked. “This is the kind of team that can really get hot.”
Following a tough 124-112 loss to the Kings earlier in the week, he pointed out that they shot at 65.4 percent but only hit 22.2 percent from beyond the arc.
“We can’t make shots,” he stated, while also noting that the Lakers “have had one of the best defenses in the league” over their last seven games.
This outlook contrasted sharply with how he reacted to the team’s three-game losing streak three weeks ago, when he expressed frustration after a 119-96 loss to Houston.
On that occasion, he told his team, “I don’t really care about being a pro,” vowing he wouldn’t endure another 53 games like that.
So, it seems Redick might be balancing between concern and restraint; perhaps a little of both could be involved.
During the game, the Lakers actually built a 13-point lead but then found themselves trailing 34-16 in the second quarter. They managed to narrow the gap to six points in the fourth quarter, but Ball fired off consecutive 3-pointers, making four out of five attempts from that range during the period.
It’s evident that the Lakers are facing heightened competition from other teams, shedding light on their vulnerabilities—something to keep an eye on as the February 5 trade deadline looms.
For the Hornets, this wasn’t just any game—it was evident they had circled it on their schedule.
“They grew up watching LeBron James,” Redick noted. “The Lakers, much like the Celtics, are among the oldest franchises in all of sports. We’ve discussed this as a team; there’s not much downtime from other teams in terms of energy and enthusiasm.”
