A pair of teams anxious to move on to a new calendar year will meet Thursday when the Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Lakers enter the contest with six defeats in their past eight games, while the Hornets take the court on a season-long eight-game losing streak.
Los Angeles, at least, started the month of December on a high note when it knocked off the Indiana Pacers 123-109 on Dec. 9 in the NBA in-season tournament championship game. But it has been a rocky ride ever since.
The latest loss came on Christmas Day, when the Lakers were overwhelmed 126-115 by the Boston Celtics. It was just the second home game for Los Angeles over the past eight contests. And after Thursday’s game, the month ends with two more road games.
But January opens with five consecutive home games and a run where 10 of the first 11 games in the month will be played in Los Angeles, including Jan. 23 against the host Clippers. There remains work to be done, though, so Lakers coach Darvin Ham detailed areas that need to be addressed.
“Sprinting back each and every time, no matter how difficult it may be,” Ham said. “Allow the chance to have the offense in front of you and not be scattered or have them behind you. And not fouling, getting the defensive rebound, not turning the ball over … and playing with force offensively.”
Another concern: LeBron James said he was dealing with a sore left knee after a play in the second quarter Monday in which he was trailing Boston’s Jaylen Brown and collided with him.
“Just a freak play right there between me and Jaylen Brown,” James said. “I’m happy I was able to walk off on my own power, but definitely a little sore right now.”
The Hornets know all about injury issues. LaMelo Ball is close to returning from a right ankle sprain, but he missed his 13th consecutive game Tuesday, a 113-104 defeat against the host Los Angeles Clippers. Brandon Miller was out with his own sprained ankle.
Charlotte gave itself a chance. The Hornets scored 42 points in the paint in the first half, then turned a 10-point deficit in the third quarter into a 91-84 lead with 9:29 left in the game after opening the fourth on an 11-2 run.
“Getting into the paint, getting easy baskets is something we’re really good at so we just have to keep getting on that and the shots (from distance) will start falling sooner or later,” said Hornets forward/center P.J. Washington as the early points in the paint were offset by Charlotte going 1 of 12 from 3-point range over the first two quarters.
The Clippers picked up their energy over the final nine minutes and the Hornets struggled with the increased defensive pressure, scoring just 13 points after grabbing the seven-point lead.
Miles Bridges scored 21 points and hauled in 11 rebounds on Tuesday, while Washington and Terry Rozier had 18 points apiece. Rozier returned after missing Saturday’s home loss to the Denver Nuggets with right knee soreness.
The Lakers and Hornets have split the two-game season series in each of the last two seasons, with Charlotte winning on the Lakers’ home court last season, 134-130, on Dec. 23, 2022.
–Field Level Media