The Charlotte Hornets picked up a huge 100-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers last night, executing in the clutch with big shots and some crucial stops. The biggest stops came on LeBron James‘, who missed two game-tying three-pointers to send it to OT.
Those misses gave the Hornets the win, which was celebrated intensely by center Mark Williams. Williams was supposed to be a Laker until the franchise rescinded a trade to acquire him after the deadline, forcing him to return to the Hornets. The center even dapped up Lakers’ Dalton Knecht, who was traded for him in that deal.
Mark Williams after Hornets W vs. Lakers 😅
Williams and Dalton Knecht dapped up after the game pic.twitter.com/RRMgSTalv1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 20, 2025
LeBron had scored 16 points in the quarter before the final sequence, where the Hornets defenders hustled hard to get contests on LeBron’s audacious jumpers.
LeBron misses back-to-back game-tying threes. 😬
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 20, 2025
Williams put up 10 points (3-7 FG), nine rebounds, and one block in this win. The Hornets center might have begrudgingly rejoined the franchise that traded him away, but he got to make an impression in his first game back.
Unfortunately, he also got dunked on in a viral poster highlight by LeBron. He got the win, so that’s all that matters.
Williams is averaging 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks this season and would’ve been a huge help to the Lakers if he was on their squad right now.
Unfortunately, the Lakers claimed Williams failed the team’s physical before the deal was rescinded. While the Hornets challenged the rescinding of the deal and even threatened legal action, they couldn’t stop the deal from being stopped.
Now, both Williams and Knecht are readjusting to lives with the franchises that traded them away. This was Mark’s first game back with the Hornets, but it was Knecht’s second. He put up 10 points (3-7 FG) and one steal against the team that could’ve been the franchise he represents right now.
Mark Williams Thought He Passed His Physical
The decision to rescind the Mark Williams trade raised a lot of eyebrows around the NBA.
Williams has a known injury history which the Lakers had to take into account when they acquired him. He’s healthy right now and has been playing big minutes for the Hornets, which is why he thinks he had passed his physical and doesn’t understand why the trade didn’t go through.
“I didn’t think I had failed my physical. That didn’t even cross my mind. The night I got traded I played hella minutes. I didn’t think in any world that was possible. Since I’ve been back at the start of the year, I’ve played games with a lot of minutes. I feel like every injury I’ve had has been well-documented and I’ve recovered, and been 100% since. So, I don’t know what went into that decision. I think that’s up to them.”
“There’s not really much I can do. Like I said, I’ve been playing. You went from shocked to excited, back to shocked. You control what you can control.”
It’s unclear what exactly went wrong in the Lakers’ evaluation of Williams which made them cancel what could’ve been a lucrative trade for them. However, you have to imagine some red flags showed up in the physical regarding Williams’ long-term health which motivated the decision.
All Williams can do now is continue playing at a high level and likely be dealt in the summer now that the Hornets’ desire to trade him is in the open.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
