NBA Matchup: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Date: 28 January 2022
Time: 7:00pm ET
The Charlotte Hornets play host to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night from the Spectrum Center in an interesting matchup. Both teams go head to head for the second time in the 2021-22 NBA season where the Lakers took a 126-123 victory. The Lakeshow was led by Anthony Davis – Carmelo Anthony combined 61 points.
Los Angeles Lakers season so far
The Los Angeles Lakers continue their tough six-game eastern conference road trip with a record of 2-2. In their last game, the Lakeshow suffered their 25th defeat of the season against the Philadelphia 76ers. Los Angeles is scoring an average of 111.2 points per game which is eighth in the NBA and the Lakers are shooting 46.5% overall which is also eighth. The Lakers are shooting 34.9% from three-point land.
Bron with the house call on back-to-back plays ‼️ pic.twitter.com/BY2o1rFl7W
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 26, 2022
Lebron James with his 29.1 ppg has continued to establish himself as one of the best players in the NBA. Anthony Davis’ 22.8 points return could be impactful but Russell Westbrook remains the x-factor. He leads the team in rebounding with 8.0 rebounds and assists 7.7 assists. Westbrook is also third in scoring for the Lakers with 18.5 points.
Charlotte Hornets season so far
The Charlotte Hornets enter this matchup after scoring a record 158 points against the Indiana Pacers. The Buzz City was led by Kelly Oubre’s career-high 35 points and Lamelo Ball’s 29 point triple-double with 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Charlotte is scoring an average of 114.9 points per game which is first in the NBA. The Hornets are shooting 46.4% overall which is 11th and 37.1% from long range which is the fourth-best.
Everything on point tonight ????????@MELOD1P x @KELLYOUBREJR#AllFly | @HornetsOnBally pic.twitter.com/W1Cms5SKuu
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) January 27, 2022
Miles Bridges is the leading scorer for Charlotte with an average of 20.1 points per game and is shooting 49.0% overall. Second leading scorer LaMelo Ball is averaging 19.4 points per game and shoots 42.4% overall and 36.3% from behind the line. Ball also leads the Hornets in assists with an average of 7.7 assists per game.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets Match Prediction
The Los Angeles Lakers will be playing its second game of the back to back and hence they are likely to rest Anthony Davis who has just returned from missing 17 games. Charlotte is first in the NBA in scoring with an average of 114.9 points per game.
The Lakers defence has been problematic as Los Angeles is allowing an average of 112.3 points per game. The Lakeshow is also likely to miss their star player LeBron James due to the knee injury. Hence the Charlotte Hornets are the favourites to win this game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James – Knee – Expected to be out until at least Jan 28
Sekou Doumbouya – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Jan 28
Kendrick Nunn – Knee – Expected to be out until at least Feb 27
Charlotte Hornets
Jalen McDaniels – Ankle – Expected to be out until at least Jan 30
Kelly Oubre Jr. – Ankle – Game Time Decision
Gordon Hayward – Covid-19 – Expected to be out until at least Feb 2
How to watch Los Angeles Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets?
The LA Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets game will be available on Spectrum SportsNet and Bally Sports SE-CHA. Meanwhile, fans can also catch the game online via the NBA League Pass.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Can LA Lakers Trade Russell Westbrook to Houston Rockets for John Wall?
