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The Charlotte Hornets continue their five-game road trip against Western Conference opponents with a matchup against the LA Lakers. The Hornets and the Lakers have committed the most turnovers per game since the beginning of February so you can expect plenty of fastbreaks in this tie.
Match Details
Fixture: Charlotte Hornets vs LA Lakers | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Thursday, March 18th, 10:30 PM ET (Friday, 8 AM IST)
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Charlotte Hornets Preview
The Charlotte Hornets' four-game winning streak came to an end following a drubbing at the hands of the Denver Nuggets last night. Both LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward failed to leave an impression as James Borrego's unit suffered.
Terry Rozier continued his good run of form with 21 points against Denver. He's turned into an incredibly clutch two-way player for the Charlotte Hornets and is averaging 20.5 points per game on 42.7% shooting from downtown this season. The converse is true for Devonte' Graham who is increasingly looking like an expendable player.
Graham's loss is Malik Monk's gain. The shooting guard has finally found his footing four years into his Charlotte Hornets career. He's averaging 15.7 points per game since February and will be hoping to come up big against the LA Lakers off the bench.
Key Player - LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball will have the majority of the spotlight against the LA Lakers as he returns to the city where he played high school basketball. The Rookie of the Year frontrunner has already become the primary facilitator for the Charlotte Hornets. He's averaged 6.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game since breaking through into the starting lineup, both team-highs.
Charlotte Hornets Predicted Lineup
G Terry Rozier, G LaMelo Ball, F Gordon Hayward, F PJ Washington, C Cody Zeller
LA Lakers Preview
The LA Lakers are looking rejuvenated after the All-Star break and have recorded three convincing wins to start the second half of the season. The credit must go to the second-unit which has been on fire lately. The bench has contributed 68, 71 and 54 points respectively in the last three fixtures.
Montrezl Harrell has been phenomenal for the LA Lakers. He's contributed 69 points on 30-of-41 shooting in the last three games. LeBron James' passing has helped too with the duo combining in pick-and-roll plays fairly often. Both Kyle Kuzma and Tale Horton-Tucker have also made clutch plays.
The LA Lakers continue to be without several key players though. Anthony Davis is sidelined at least until the end of the month while Marc Gasol continues to miss games due to COVID-19. Alex Caruso will also be unavailable against the Charlotte Hornets as he observes the league's concussion protocol.
Key Player - LeBron James
LeBron James is back to doing a bit of everything for the LA Lakers. He had a tough outing against the Indiana Pacers but followed that up with two back-to-back triple-doubles, taking his career tally to 99. King James hasn't had to play a lot of minutes with the Purple and Gold notching up blowout wins so he should be fresh enough to dominate the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
LA Lakers Predicted Lineup
G Dennis Schroder, G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, F LeBron James, F Markieff Morris, C Damian Jones
Hornets vs Lakers Match Prediction
Energy reserves will come into question for the Charlotte Hornets who will be playing their third game in four days. James Borrego's men are at full strength but their road record isn't too convincing. Meanwhile, the LA Lakers have played cohesive basketball since the All-Star break and LeBron James has barely broken a sweat. Expect the Purple and Gold to win this tie.
Where to watch Hornets vs Lakers?
National telecast of this matchup will be available on NBA TV. Local coverage of the same will be carried by FOX Sports Southeast and Spectrum SportsNet. You can also live stream this game via the NBA League Pass.
Also read: OKC Thunder vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction & Match Preview - March 18th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
