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The LA Lakers end their seven-game road trip in the 2020-21 NBA with a meeting against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center in North Carolina on Tuesday.
In their first meeting of the season last month at the Staples Center, the LA Lakers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 116-105, with LeBron James scoring 37 points.The visitors were led by LaMelo Ball with 26 points and Terry Rozier, who had 20. But the Purple and Gold have fallen on hard times since then, with James on the injury list for a few weeks now.
Meanwhile, in their last five games, the Charlotte Hornets have won thrice. But the next few weeks could be a struggle with two of their regular starters out for an extended period. The Hornets' most recent game was a 101-105 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, with Miles Bridges scoring 23 points.
Match Details
Fixture - LA Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets | 2020-21 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Tuesday, April 13th; 8:00 PM ET (Wednesday, April 14th; 5:30 AM IST).
Venue - Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC.
LA Lakers Preview
The Charlotte Hornets matchup will be the third game in four nights for the road-weary LA Lakers, who lost to the New York Knicks 96-111 on Monday. Their difficulties in offense were exposed by the Knicks, as coach Frank Vogel’s squad failed to break the 100-point barrier for the fourth time in eight games.
Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Markieff Morris shot well but had a combined 13 turnovers for the game. That’s more than half of the LA Lakers’ 24 total turnovers. Granted, the New York Knicks are one of the best defensive teams in the league, but there were unforced errors from the LA Lakers that led to transition opportunities for the Knicks.
The biggest concern for the LA Lakers heading into Tuesday's game with the Charlotte Hornets will be their energy level. The Lakers have been on the road the past two weeks and at times looked lethargic against the Knicks.
Key Player - Kyle Kuzma
Kyle Kuzma’s return to the LA Lakers lineup on Monday after a two-game absence was a welcome sight.
However, the fourth-year player out of Utah shot 5 of 13 from the field and two of nine from beyond the arc. He had a game-worst minus-26 in plus-minus, which could be attributed to rust and lingering effects from his calf strain.
Whatever the reason, the LA Lakers cannot afford a similar performance from Kuzma, not when the team is having difficulty putting the ball in the hole. He has a chance to make up for it immediately, as the Charlotte Hornets game starts in less than 24 hours.
LA Lakers Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Dennis Schroder l Shooting Guard - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope l Small Forward - Kyle Kuzma l Power Forward - Markieff Morris l Center - Andre Drummond.
Charlotte Hornets Preview
The Charlotte Hornets are 27-25 on the season and are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Only two games separate the fifth to eighth-placed teams, making every game in the coming weeks very crucial for the team’s playoff hopes.
Fortunately, three of the Charlotte Hornets' next four games will be at home, including this LA Lakers matchup. That should give them time to recover and regroup after coming off a six-game trip before the Hawks game.
At 111.3 (12th), the Charlotte Hornets have one of the better defensive ratings in the league. They will have to rely more and more on their defense to win games, as three of their top-five offensive players are out, including Ball, Gordon Hayward and Malik Monk.
Key Player - Terry Rozier
Terry Rozier has been having a sensational campaign with career-highs in points (20.3), steals (1.2) and field-goal percentage (46.3%). As his team enters this difficult stretch with key rotation players out, Rozier will need to step up in his leadership role.
The Charlotte Hornets veteran guard has cooled off a bit in the past six games, scoring just 17.3 points while shooting a frigid 37.7% from the field and 30.8 from the three. He has to snap out of his recent struggles, especially as he faces the LA Lakers’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is one of the best defenders at the shooting guard position.
Charlotte Hornets Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Devonte Graham l Shooting Guard - Terry Rozier l Small Forward - Miles Bridges l Power Forward - Jaden McDaniels l Center - PJ Washington.
Lakers vs Hornets Match Prediction
The LA Lakers have had some success with Andre Drummond as their starting center. But there are going to be nights like the Knicks game where he looks lost (three points on one-of-three shooting). It’s been a long road trip for the Lakers. and Drummond may also be feeling fatigued.
The more-rested Charlotte Hornets have a shot at winning this game, which could be a close one. But the LA Lakers could see this game as one last hurrah before going home and should be able to take this contest in another low-scoring affair.
Where to watch Lakers vs Hornets?
The game between the LA Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets will be shown locally on Spectrum SportsNet and Bally Sports Southeast Charlotte. The match can also be streamed live with an NBA League Pass.
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