The Los Angeles Lakers are in excellent form and it continued with a convincing 121-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, powered by Luka Doncic’s 38-point masterpiece and a game-changing third quarter fueled by Rui Hachimura. After a tightly contested first half, the Lakers blew the game open with a 31-15 third-period avalanche, punishing Charlotte’s decision to blitz Doncic and opening up clean looks for the supporting cast.
Austin Reaves chipped in 24 points and seven assists, while Marcus Smart delivered timely playmaking and a dagger three late to seal the outcome. Charlotte, playing without injured stars LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, fought behind Miles Bridges’ 34-point, seven-three explosion and rookie Kon Knueppel’s near triple-double, but a costly third-quarter drought and 23 turnovers ultimately doomed their comeback hopes.
The Lakers improve their record to 8-3 on the season and after another impressive performance, let’s dive into the three key takeaways of this matchup.
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Luka Doncic Dictated Every Phase Of The Game
Luka Doncic put on a complete offensive display, scoring 38 points on 14-of-28 shooting, drilling five threes, and adding seven assists while controlling tempo throughout the night. Charlotte attempted to disrupt him with aggressive traps, but Doncic repeatedly split doubles, hitting shooters in the corners, and using his strength to finish at the rim.
Even when the Hornets mounted a late push, Doncic answered immediately with a three-point play and a series of stabilizing possessions that halted their momentum. His highlight moments, including a two-handed dunk and a three-quarter-court flick that swished after a timeout, energized both the Lakers and the home crowd.
Beyond scoring, Doncic’s decision-making forced Charlotte’s defense into constant rotation. His penetration opened up 14 Lakers three-pointers, and his reads in the pick-and-roll generated open looks for Ayton, Smart, and Hachimura. His +16 plus/minus underscored his complete control of the game, and with the Lakers now winners of six of their last seven, Doncic’s MVP-level playmaking remains the foundation of their surge.
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Rui Hachimura Flipped the Game With A Dominant Third Quarter
The turning point came from Rui Hachimura, who exploded for 13 of his 21 points in a decisive third quarter that transformed a close contest into a double-digit cushion. With Charlotte selling out to slow Doncic, Hachimura repeatedly punished the extra space, knocking down three third-quarter threes, attacking mismatches, and cutting behind an overextended defense.
He finished an ultra-efficient 9-of-12 from the field and drilled all three of his triples, posting a +13 plus/minus that accurately reflected his impact on the game’s momentum. Defensively, Hachimura added value with timely rotations and disciplined one-on-one stands, helping cool off a Charlotte offense that had poured in 37 first-quarter points behind Bridges.
His surge coincided with Los Angeles outscoring Charlotte 31–15 in the third, a stretch where the Lakers forced six Hornets turnovers and limited them to just 5-of-17 shooting. When Charlotte later trimmed the deficit to eight, the cushion Hachimura helped build proved critical, allowing the Lakers to operate comfortably down the stretch.
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Turnovers And Rim Pressure Doomed Charlotte Despite Big Nights From Bridges And Knueppel
The Hornets received standout performances from Miles Bridges, who dropped 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting with seven made threes, and rookie Kon Knueppel, who produced 19 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in the best all-around game of his young career. Their production helped Charlotte shoot an impressive 52.1% from the field and 47.2% from three, keeping them in range despite missing two star scorers.
But their offensive efficiency couldn’t overcome the team’s ball security issues, as Charlotte committed a damaging 23 turnovers, leading directly to 22 Lakers points. The Lakers repeatedly attacked the rim and pressured Charlotte’s interior defense, finishing with a 46-34 advantage in points in the paint and grabbing 12 offensive rebounds that created second-chance scoring opportunities.
Collin Sexton (13 points) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (9 points on 3-of-4) provided supplemental offense, but defensive lapses in the third quarter and the team’s inability to protect the ball prevented the Hornets from capitalizing on Bridges’ hot shooting. Even with superior shooting splits and a strong night at the line (20-of-22 FT), Charlotte’s lack of composure, and the Lakers’ relentless pressure, proved too much to overcome.
