Hornets fall to Clippers behind huge nights from Kawhi Leonard and James Harden

The Hornets have still yet to win when in LA to face the Clippers since 2009.

Jan 12, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) shoots the ball against the LA Clippers in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After a season-best performance that saw a 55-point win against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, the Charlotte Hornets were matched up with a Los Angeles Clippers team who have started to find its footing recently after a rough beginning to the season.

The Hornets would be without Collin Sexton, Pat Connaughton, and Mason Plumlee, while the Clippers would be missing Derrick Jones, Bradley Beal, and Bogdan Bogdanovic.

It was a low-scoring affair during the first half, with neither team eclipsing the 50-point mark. The third quarter is where things started to pick up, with both teams recording 41 points during the period. It saw LaMelo Ball start to heat up as well, and the Hornets star recorded 13 points, 4 assists, and hit 3 threes.

While the Buzz were able to regain the lead in the fourth quarter, a 15-1 run from the Clippers towards the end of the fourth put the game to bed, and the Hornets fell 117-109 to the Clippers, falling to 14-26 on the season.

The Hornets will now have two days off before they go across town to face off against Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who have lost three straight.

Tre Mann

Jan 12, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) dribbles the ball against LA Clippers guard Jordan Miller (22) in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Prior to Saturday's matchup, Mann had not seen the floor for more than 5 minutes since December 26th against Orlando, where he did not score in 8 total minutes for the Hornets. On Saturday, the Hornets guard played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, recording 20 points on 7-10 from the field and 4-6 from three.

It was a season high in points for the Hornets guard, and a brief glimpse of hope that he could return to the player he was prior to his injury last season.

With no Collin Sexton tonight, Tre was able to get early action for the first time in a few weeks, playing 13 minutes and recording 9 points on 4-6 from the field. He had the third-highest plus-minus for the Hornets tonight, and without him, the team may have lost by a larger deficit.

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