LOS ANGELES — Miles Bridges scored an impressive 29 points, while LaMelo Ball contributed 27, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a surprising 100-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday evening.
LeBron James, who finished with 26 points, notably scored 16 of them in the fourth quarter but unfortunately missed two crucial 3-point attempts just before the final buzzer. Luka Doncic had a solid performance with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in his third appearance for the Lakers. This loss marked a difficult stretch for the team, as they faced defeats against both Utah and Charlotte, two squads struggling near the bottom of the NBA standings.
The critical turning point of the game came when Nick Smith Jr. sank a 3-pointer that put the Hornets ahead with 48 seconds remaining. Following that, Rui Hachimura struggled at the free-throw line, missing two shots that could have helped the Lakers. Ball then drove to the basket for a finger-roll layup with just 14.2 seconds left. James managed to hit a 3-pointer with 6.8 seconds remaining, but Ball retaliated by sinking two free throws. James’s last two attempts were unsuccessful, allowing the Hornets to secure their second win in 11 games.
Mark Williams made his presence known in his first game since the Lakers acquired him in a trade that was later reversed, scoring 10 points and pulling down nine rebounds.
Observations from the game indicate that the Hornets were down 65-53 with four minutes left in the third quarter but turned the tide with a remarkable 22-1 scoring run. Meanwhile, the Lakers couldn’t find the basket, missing 10 consecutive shots over a span of 6 minutes and 39 seconds.
Additionally, the Lakers faced a setback when Austin Reaves was ejected by referee Rodney Mott late in the third quarter following a brief exchange of words. This incident was pivotal, as the Hornets capitalized on the moment to launch their game-changing run.
In a key moment, Doncic gave the Lakers a brief lead with a putback bucket with just over a minute to go, but Smith responded confidently with an open 3-pointer, marking his fourth successful shot from beyond the arc after a sluggish start.
A notable statistic from the match revealed that Doncic struggled with his shooting, finishing 5 of 18 from the field and only 1 for 9 on 3-point attempts. This game was originally scheduled for January but had been postponed due to the severe wildfires that impacted Southern California.
Looking ahead, both teams are set to compete once again on Thursday night, with the Hornets making their way to Denver, while the Lakers head to Portland.
