The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their fourth defeat in five games on Thursday, losing 135-117 to the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers got off to a hot start, but then got outplayed the rest of the way, and Luka Doncic was asked where this contest flipped postgame.
“They made a lot of shots,” Doncic said, via Spectrum SportsNet. “We gave up a lot of offensive rebounds from there. They just hit like what we call daggers. So I think that was the game there.”
The Lakers jumped out to a 39-30 lead at the end of the first quarter, and while a nine-point advantage was great, there was cause for concern. You couldn’t expect the offense to keep up that pace, and improvement was needed on the defensive end. That absolutely did not happen.
The Hornets won the second quarter 34-16 to take a 64-55 lead into halftime. The Lakers then exploded for 38 points in the third quarter, but they undid all that good work by giving up 40 to the visitors.
All hope seemed lost when the Hornets led 127-110 with 3:58 remaining in the fourth, but the Lakers then went on a 7-0 run. Another stop would give them the chance to cut the lead to single digits, and Miles Bridges did indeed miss a three-pointer on the next play. Unfortunately, Moussa Diabate secured the offensive rebound and kicked it out to LaMelo Ball, who hit the dagger three-pointer.
Ball then hit another three of the Hornets’ next possession to add icing on top of the cake. The one-time All-Star drilled eight threes in the second half after making just one in the first. We witnessed some terrific shot-making from Ball, and he got plenty of support, too.
The Hornets went 50-92 (54.3%) from the field and 20-43 (46.5%) from beyond the arc here. It was just yet another poor defensive display from the Lakers. You could argue that the Hornets made some ridiculous shots, but that tends to happen when you allow a team to find its rhythm and flow on offense.
We had seen a far better display from the Lakers in their 141-116 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. There was none of that effort and intensity here, and Doncic said the team is telling on itself.
“I would say the way we play against Atlanta, it was a back-to-back too, so we telling ourselves,” Doncic stated. “So we got to play like that. Playing fast, playing with physicality, and I think Atlanta was a good example for us.”
That is indeed the blueprint. The Lakers just don’t seem to follow it on a consistent basis.
Doncic doesn’t deserve too much blame for this loss, though. The 26-year-old had 19 points in the first quarter and finished the night with 39 points (15-26 FG), three rebounds, and four assists.
Doncic is now averaging 34.0 points on 50.0% shooting from the field over his last five games, and the Lakers are 1-4 in that time. They have dropped to 24-15 with this latest defeat.
JJ Redick Says Hornets Got Lakers’ Full Respect And Attention
Losing to a Hornets team that only improved to 15-26 with this win could lead you to believe that the Lakers might not have taken them seriously. Head coach JJ Redick’s comments postgame indicate that wasn’t the case.
“It’s a good offensive team,” Redick said, via Spectrum SportsNet. “They had 150 against Utah and blew out OKC at OKC. I think everybody, our coaching staff, and the guys in the locker room, we all knew that. They got our full respect and attention pregame, and I thought we fought. I mean, just another team that has a hot shooting night.”
When you know that this is a team that is capable of exploding on offense, you need to be at your absolute best defensively. The Lakers were not, and paid the price.
They’ll take on the Portland Trail Blazers next at Moda Center on Saturday at 10 PM ET.
