By Sam Perley
The Hornets will need to quickly put a disastrous overtime loss to the Knicks behind them as they host the Los Angeles Lakers for the second night of a back-to-back set, which tips off tonight at 7 p.m. ET.
Charlotte has won six of its last seven meetings between the two sides, although this is obviously a much different Lakers team with the offseason signing of LeBron James. Los Angeles has won 15 of its last 21 outings, ranking 19th in the NBA in offensive rating (107.4) and seventh in defensive rating (105.0) during this span.
A marvelous Marvin Williams has been on full display for the Hornets as of late, with the two-way threat averaging 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds since returning from a shoulder injury four games ago. The seasoned vet also holds a yearly defensive rating of 104.8 through Dec. 13, the third-best mark of any Hornet averaging at least 15.0 minutes.
Williams’ defensive assignment will likely be a combination of James and lanky sophomore sensation Kyle Kuzma. The Lakers haven’t had Brandon Ingram (ankle) for their last four games, but have gotten outstanding clips of 26.0 points on 54.5 percent shooting, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals from Kuzma during this stretch.
Shutting down James is unrealistic, but locking up shooters like Kuzma, Josh Hart and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is certainly within the realm of possibilities. Look for Williams and the Hornets to zero in on James’ passing game and make three-point closeouts a huge priority.
Game Note – Charlotte is 2-1 overall and 1-0 at home this season in the second game of back-to-back sets. The one such victory at Spectrum Center came against Milwaukee on Nov. 26.
Classic Fact – Charlotte scored a franchise-record 141 points in a non-overtime home win over the Lakers on Nov. 24, 1993. The Lakers didn’t give up 140-or-more points in regulation again until a 142-94 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on March 6, 2014.