LA Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction: Will the Lakers fumble here too?

NBA is on and the window is soon closing for teams that have been set back by poor starts. If these teams don’t sort out their issues soon, they will either be on the precipice of the Play-in tournament or will be in the lower brackets, heading to the lottery. The Los Angeles Lakers are facing such turmoil too and they will face another low-ranked team the Charlotte Hornets.

The Lakers come into this game after another shoddy effort as they lost to the Kings 120:134 despite 31 points banger by LeBron James. They have lost two in a row and have a poor 17 losses and 13 wins record. Their woes have been exacerbated by the absence of Anthony Davis who is their best defensive player, rebounder, and someone who got a bunch of points. When he got going, the Lakers were inching close to +50% win record but since his absence, things have gone further downhill. Westbrook remains inconsistent, Walker has been effective but is not a 20+ points scorer whereas Thomas Bryant has picked up his game. Long-range shooting issues continue to haunt this underwhelming Lakers unit that finds new ways to lose games.

The Hornets enter the scene after another embarrassing loss as the Clippers thrashed them 124:105 despite a 25 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds performance by LaMelo Ball. They have lost eight in a row twice already this season and have an abysmal eight wins and 24 looses record. They hit a big low when LaMelo Ball went down for more than 20 games due to an injury while not having last season’s electric performer Miles Bridges(legal troubles) set their rotations back in big ways. Gordon Hawyard has continued to struggle with injuries, PJ Washington has been shooting terribly lately, Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre have had some big nights but the overall balance has been way too off-the-radar. At this rate, the Hornets are staring at a lottery draft.

• Lakers: OUT: Anthony Davis, Juan Toscano-Anderson. QUESTIONABLE: Austin Reaves. PROBABLE: Russell Westbrook, LeBron James;
• Hornets: OUT: Cody Martin. QUESTIONABLE: Terry Rozier, Dennis Smith Jr.

• Expected Leading Scorers: LeBron James(30-36 Points), LaMelo Ball(28-34 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Thomas Bryant(9-11 Rebounds), LaMelo Ball(9-12 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: LaMelo Ball(9-11 Assists), LeBron James(8-11 Assists).

The Lakers have been in awful rhythm and they have been struggling to make ends meet on either end of the floor. Charlotte has been doing even worse and thus, these teams meet at almost a similar footing. The duel between LaMelo Ball and LeBron James is going to be the highlight but it will be the play of Russell Westbrook for the Lakers which can tilt the balance either way. Still, playing at home and against a vulnerable team, the Lakers will be the favorites. I predict a scoreline of 126:118 in favor of the Lakers.