Buzzworthy Hornets look to bounce back against LeBron James and the Lakers

The Charlotte Hornets continue their swing through LA Thursday night, visiting the Los Angeles Lakers as the LeBron James-led dynasty tries to steady itself amid a crowded Western Conference.

It's been a strange stretch for Charlotte lately. On Saturday in Utah, they authored one of the most lopsided wins in franchise history with a 150-95 takedown of the Jazz that featured 24 made threes and a lead that ballooned to nearly sixty points. Two nights later at Intuit Dome, they were locked in a grind-it-out game with the Clippers, briefly grabbing control in the fourth before they saw it slip away when Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and company strung together a late 15-1 run in a 117-109 loss. Charlotte left the building at 14-26 on the season, still searching for consistency even as the ceiling continues to creep higher.

But the big picture in Charlotte is more encouraging than the record suggests. When LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller all play, the Hornets are over .500. And when that starting lineup includes Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, it posts elite net-rating numbers in its minutes together. That group has driven much of the "buzz" around the team lately, both locally and in national pockets.

Feel the Buzz

Still, Thursday brings a new battle. The Lakers enter at 24-14, fifth in the Western Conference, coming off a 141-116 win over the Hawks that snapped a three-game skid and briefly made their outside shooting woes look like a distant memory. They hit 19 of 34 threes in that game, after coming into the night with the worst three-point percentage in the league, hovering around 34 percent.

Those shooting swings have framed much of Los Angeles' season. Earlier this week, Lakers head coach JJ Redick got quite blunt after a loss to Sacramento, saying his team "literally can't make a shot" and pointing out how often their expected scoring numbers have outpaced the results. With King James and Luka Doncic carrying the offensive load, the Lakers can still generate good looks, but the margins tighten when the role players are cold from deep or opponents get too comfortable on the perimeter.

For Charlotte, the challenge is to make the Lakers live on those jumpers instead of at the rim. Ball, Miller, and Knueppel have all had stretches where they dictate the tempo and spacing of a game, but the Hornets' recurring issues come when turnovers pile up or the defense can't finish possessions. Against a physical front line and a star duo that punishes mistakes, empty trips and second chance points can snowball in a hurry.

The loss to the Clippers was another reminder of how thin the line is for this young Hornets team. They were right there in the fourth quarter on Monday, before a brief stretch of sloppiness and shotmaking on the other side flipped the outcome. In Utah, everything flowed. Up against the Lakers, Charlotte will have to blend that same road confidence from their Jazz win with the late-game focus they're frequently missing.

Key Matchup

LaMelo Ball vs the Lakers' perimeter pressure

The Lakers will throw a mix of length and physicality at Ball, trying to disrupt his timing and force the ball out of his hands. When he controls pace, limits risky passes, and keeps defenders chasing over screens, the Hornets' offense tends to look like the group that so handily blitzed Utah. If the Lakers turn him sideways and force tough late-clock decisions, it becomes much harder for Charlotte to keep up with LeBron and Luka on the other end.

Though currently 12th in the East, the Hornets' recent surge, their young core, and the blowout in Utah have changed the way people talk about them. Matching that energy against a veteran Lakers squad on the national radar would be one more step toward turning this road trip into something more than a brief blip in Charlotte's schedule.

Injury Report

Hornets: OUT: Mason Plumlee (groin) QUESTIONABLE: Moussa Diabate (hip), Collin Sexton (hamstring)

Lakers: OUT: Austin Reaves (calf), Adou Thiero (knee) QUESTIONABLE: Jaxson Hayes (hamstring)

Projected Starting Lineups

	Hornets	Lakers
G	LaMelo Ball	Luka Doncic
G	Brandon Miller	Marcus Smart
F	Kon Knueppel	Jake LaRavia
F	Miles Bridges	LeBron James
C	Moussa Diabate	Deandre Ayton

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