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The Charlotte Hornets will host the LA Lakers at Spectrum Center on January 28th.
The Lakers head into this game on the back of a 105-87 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers. Following the loss, they now find themselves with a record of 24-25 and currently occupy the ninth seed in the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets are coming off a monster scoring performance in their win against the Indiana Pacers. The Hornets recorded a 158-126 win on the road, improving their record to 27-22 on the season.
LA Lakers Injury Report
The LA Lakers had hoped to see an end to their injury struggles following Anthony Davis' return to action in the game against the Brooklyn Nets. Unfortunately, the Purple and Gold will see a new name on their injury report ahead of Friday night's fixture.
LeBron James was added to the injury report in the lead up to the game in Philadelphia and is listed as questionable with knee soreness. James didn't play in the Lakers' Thursday night loss to the 76ers, with his status for this encounter against the Hornets remaining questionable.
The Lakers will also continue to see Kendrick Nunn out of the rotation as he rehabilitates from a knee injury. Nunn is yet to play a game for LA in the regular-season.
Charlotte Hornets Injury Report
The Charlotte Hornets will feature a few names in their injury report ahead of Friday night's game.
New additions to the injury report will see Kelly Oubre Jr. listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Oubre went off for 39-points in his previous outing against the Pacers. Charlotte is hoping the forward will be available for their home showcase.
Gordon Hayward continues to be sidelined under the league's health and safety protocols. He is expected to clear quarantine on January 31st.
Additionally, the Hornets will also see Jalen McDaniels out of the rotation. McDaniels sustained an ankle injury earlier last week. His timeline for recovery sees him sidelined on a week-to-week basis.
LA Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets Predicted Lineups
LA Lakers
The LA Lakers finally looked to have their Big Three play together in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers. However, with LeBron James' unexpected injury, the Lakers had to make adjustments to compensate for their superstar's absence.
Heading into the game against Charlotte, should LeBron be available, the Lakers will run with a lineup consisting of Russell Westbrook and Avery Bradley in the backcourt. The frontcourt rotation will see Stanley Johnson start at small forward, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing power forward and center, respectively.
Should LeBron sit the game out, Malik Monk enters the lineup at small forward with Johnson moving into the power forward position. Either way, the Lakers will continue to see Davis start at center.
Coming off the bench, Los Angeles should see the most minutes from Talen Horton-Tucker, Austin Reaves and Carmelo Anthony. After an underwhelming performance against the 76ers, the Lakers bench will look to play a bigger role in their next game.
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets made some adjustments to compensate for Gordon Hayward's absence from the side. While the backcourt remains the same, the frontcourt saw some variation.
The Hornets had Cody Martin start in place of Hayward in the game against Indiana. To counter the size of the Lakers, however, they may opt to have PJ Washington start at power forward instead. This would see Miles Bridges play small forward with Mason Plumlee occupying the center position.
The backcourt duo will continue to feature LaMelo Ball at point guard with Terry Rozier playing shooting guard. Coming off the bench, the Hornets will need to make up for Kelly Oubre Jr.'s minutes if he isn't available.
Depending upon the starting rotation, Cody Martin or PJ Washington could see the most minutes off the bench along with James Bouknight and JT Thor. Ish Smith may also see some meaningful minutes to support the backcourt rotation.
LA Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets Predicted Starting 5’s
LA Lakers
G - Russell Westbrook | G - Avery Bradley | F - Stanley Johnson | F - LeBron James | C - Anthony Davis
Charlotte Hornets
G - LaMelo Ball | G - Terry Rozier | F - Miles Bridges | F - PJ Washington | C - Mason Plumlee
