Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets - prediction, team news, form guide

The Los Angeles Lakers volition beryllium looking to marque it 3 wins from 3 connected location tribunal erstwhile they instrumentality connected the Charlotte Hornets astatine the Crypto.com Arena connected Thursday night.

Both sides caput into the play disconnected the backmost of contrasting results, with the Hornets snapping a tally of 10 back-to-back games without a triumph courtesy of a hard-fought triumph implicit the Phoenix Suns.

Match preview

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The Los Angeles Lakers were denied their archetypal roadworthy triumph of the twelvemonth arsenic they fell to a 118-97 blowout decision against a short-handed Dallas Mavericks broadside astatine the American Airlines Center connected Tuesday night.

It was backmost and distant successful the archetypal half, with the 2 sides exchanging leads earlier the Lakers fto spell of the enactment aft the interruption arsenic with LeBron James finished with 18 points connected 50% shooting portion Antony Davis dropped a 21-point 12-assist double-double.

In the lack of cardinal names similar Kyrie Irving and level wide Luka Doncic, Quentin Grime led the Mavs to a 4th triumph successful 5 games against the visitors with 23 points, 9 rebounds and six assists to grounds his archetypal 20-5-5 crippled for the franchise and animate them to their sixth-largest triumph successful history.

This was a 2nd consecutive roadworthy decision for the Los Angeles Lakers aft they fell 119-115 against the Houston Rockets astatine the Toyota Center connected January 6 portion they person present mislaid 3 of their 5 games successful a topsy-turvy commencement to the caller year.

JJ Redick's men present extremity their two-game roadworthy plaything arsenic they instrumentality to the Crypto.com Arena, wherever they brushed speech the Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks successful their astir caller 2 outings and person won 5 of their 7 games since the commencement of December.

The Los Angeles Lakers are present 20-16 from their 36 games this play and beryllium sixth successful the Western Conference standings, level with rivals and next-door neighbours Los Angeles Lakers, who beryllium successful seventh-place with an identical record.

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On the different hand, the Charlotte Hornets yet stopped the rot connected Tuesday nighttime erstwhile they rolled past the Phoenix Suns 115-104 erstwhile the 2 sides squared disconnected astatine the Spectrum Center.

A dilatory commencement saw the Hornets spell 6-of-27 from the tract successful the archetypal 4th arsenic they looked connected people for yet different disappointing decision but violative person LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges inspired a second-quarter comeback arsenic Charlotte held steadfast to spot retired the win.

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant combined for 65 points for the Suns but Bridges dropped 21 points connected 47% shooting portion Ball tallied 32 points and 10 rebounds to grounds his seventh double-double of the run arsenic the Hornets snapped their seven-game losing streak against Phoenix.

Prior to that, Charles Lee's men were connected a tally of 10 back-to-back defeats, failing to transverse the 100-point people successful 4 of those games, and had managed conscionable 1 triumph successful their erstwhile 19 outings since November 24.

Hornets, who presently beryllium 13th successful the Eastern Conference standings with a 8-27 record, present spell up against an opposing broadside whom they person suffered decision against successful each of their past 4 clashes, stretching backmost to a 134-130 triumph successful December 2022.

Los Angeles Lakers form:

Charlotte Hornets form:

Team News

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Cam Reddish missed the crippled against the Dallas Mavericks past clip retired done a backmost wounded and the 25-year-old volition beryllium considered day-to-day heading into weekend's matchup.

Christian Wood and 21-year-old defender Jalen Hood-Schifino are some recuperating from genu and hamstring injuries respectively and are besides retired of contention for Redick's men.

While Jarred Vanderbilt edges person to his instrumentality from the sidelines aft implicit a twelvemonth distant owed to injury, the 25-year-old guardant is expected to play nary portion successful this weekend's clash.

As for the Charlotte Hornets, experienced guardant Grant Williams has been ruled retired for the remainder of the play aft suffering a terrible genu wounded backmost successful November.

Tre Mann has missed each of the past 20 games since picking up a backmost wounded against the Detroit Pistons successful November and the 23-year-old is expected to marque his instrumentality connected January 15.

Los Angeles Lakers imaginable starting 5:
Christie, Reaves, Davis, Hachimura, LeBron

Charlotte Hornets imaginable starting 5:
Ball, Bridges, Miller, Williams, Green

We say: Los Angeles Lakers to triumph by 7+ points.

While the Charlotte Hornets volition beryllium looking to proceed from wherever they near disconnected against the Suns and enactment unneurotic a tally of form, adjacent up is the situation of a superior Los Angeles Lakers broadside who person won their past 4 encounters.

Redick's men person been stone solid-solid connected location tribunal and we foretell that they volition spot disconnected the Hornets to grounds a 3rd consecutive triumph astatine the Crypto.com Arena.

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