Takeaways from the Charlotte Hornets' dominant win over Luka, LeBron, and the Los Angeles Lakers

How high is the ceiling for this group of Charlotte Hornets?

The scraped it on Thursday night, blowing out the Los Angeles Lakers 135-117 at the Crypto.com Arena behind a dazzling third quarter from LaMelo Ball. After a slow start on both ends (Los Angeles won the first quarter 39-30), Charlotte hit the gas and ran all over the gym, turning the Lakers home arena into their personal playground.

After 41 games the Hornets' record sits at a disappointing 15-26, but the arrow is definitely pointing up as the team storms into the second half.

1 Highlight of the Night

LaMelo Ball's ankle-breaking snatch back

LaMelo has made a habit of embarrassing big men who get left on an island to guard him on the perimeter, but what he did to DeAndre Ayton on Thursday night deserves a NSFW rating. Ball blew past Ayton, and instead of strolling to the cup for a lay-in, he quickly snatched backwards, creating an ocean of space to nail a deep three.

LaMelo slips FREE from his defender and hits the THREE 🔥

He's up to 18 as the Hornets hold a slight lead in Q3! pic.twitter.com/mXMMlGpedD
— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2026

2 Game-Defining Stats

Charlotte's 138.9 offensive rating
Charlotte's 82.6% shooting percentage at the rim

I can't think of the correct word to describe how bad the Lakers' defense was on Thursday night. It took the Hornets a few minutes to find their footing, but once they did, Los Angeles didn't have a prayer at slowing them down.

Credit to Charlotte for picking out the weak spots donning purple gold and attacking them mercilessly. Jake LaRavia, Luka Doncic, Gabe Vincent, and even LeBron James were put through a dizzying array of actions for the Hornets' ball handlers to attack off the bounce.

Marcus Smart, a Lakers starter, diagnosed his team's defensive struggles after the game.

'Our one-on-one defense. We gave up a lot of straight line drives or not enough respect to the ball handlers or guys that we were guarding. They did a really good job of finding whatever matchup that they felt they wanted to attack.'

With DeAndre Ayton struggling and Jaxon Hayes out of the lineup, the Lakers had no cover for their porous wing defenders, and the Hornets took full advantage of the gap in personnel.

3 Players of the Game

LaMelo Ball - 30 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 10/20 shooting, 9/17 from three
Miles Bridges - 25 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 9/13 shooting, 5/7 from three
Brandon Miller - 26 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 9/19 shooting

LaMelo Ball is the story from this game.

He played the first half like an aging prize fighter; picking his spots to attack but mostly taking what the Lakers defense was giving him. LaMelo racked up seven first half assists, but failed to make an impact as a scorer.

In the third quarter, Ball landed haymaker after haymaker that eventually knocked out the bruised and battered Lakers.

There aren't three better shows in basketball than LaMelo Ball when he gets on a heater. His flurry of step back three-point makes in the third period was mystifying in a way that only his sick basketball brain can conjure up.

Bridges was the drum beat of the Hornets in the win.

He made his first five three-pointers, knocking down open looks created by his teammates, and was a steady presence on offense for the entirety of the game. I recently applauded Miles for his ability to scale down into a lesser role now that Charlotte's roster is healthy, and tonight's performance was the epitome of an ancillary piece starring in their role. Minimal flash, all substance.

Miller's physicality shined in the victory.

He was the beneficiary of Charlotte's hunt-happy offense, and when Miller got a chance to attack a smaller Laker, he took full advantage and imposed his will against their defense. He also finished the contest with five assists, continuing his growth as an on-ball playmaker.

4 Takeaways from the Win

1. This Hornets team is deep

When was the last time that you saw the Charlotte Hornets play a 10-man rotation with this much size, skill, and basketball IQ? Maybe never?

For all of the consternation about the Hornets' roster construction (that I fed into), they have amassed a ton of talent from top to bottom. There is still room to upgrade certain positions, but the biggest leap the Hornets need to make is internally -- the talent is in the building.

2. A quiet trade deadline?

I'm beginning to think that Charlotte stands pat at the trade deadline.

Collin Sexton and Pat Connaughton are the obvious names to consider trading, but why should Jeff Peterson and company rush to upset the apple cart? The roster as currently constructed has proven that they can hang with some of the league's premier teams, and a push towards a Play-In Tournament spot may be the next logical step in their growth as a young core.

Sexton and Connaughton's veteran presences can help that.

Look at the team's above Charlotte in the standings. Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Chicago are all floundering as we approach the deadline, playing like bottom half of the league teams in recent weeks.

Maybe Sexton walks in free agency and Charlotte isn't able to cash in on his value this February, but I'm beginning to believe it is worth keeping him around as the leader of Charlotte's second unit with meaningful basketball on the horizon.

3. Sion James adding layers to his game

James is far from a two-way world beater, but as he continues to make incremental growth on offense, worries about his ability to stay on the floor in meaningful moments subside.

The impressive first-year guard had a couple of strong, decisive drives in the win that raised my eyebrows. Sion's growth from floor-spacer to secondary playmaker to quasi-creator has popped off the hardwood in recent games.

4. Back to Greensboro for Tidjane?

I think some time with the Swarm would be great for Tidjane.

Now that Grant Williams is healthy, the second-year Frenchman's role has vanished. Salaun needs meaningful in-game reps, and if he's not getting those in Charlotte, there is no shame in allowing him to stretch his legs in the G alongside Liam McNeeley.

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