Entering a stretch of nine consecutive games in their home state, with seven of those in their own building, the Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to play host to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday intent on fine tuning their new look amid trying conditions.
Devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area will provide a somber backdrop to the contest, if it is played at all.
The NHL’s Los Angeles Kings postponed a game Wednesday against the Calgary Flames in Crypto.com Arena, the same building the Lakers call home.
In advance of a 118-97 road defeat to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, Lakers coach JJ Redick said his home was being evacuated.
“It’s where I live. My family, my wife’s family, my wife’s twin sister,” Redick said of the Pacific Palisades area, west of downtown Los Angeles. “They’ve evacuated. I know there are a lot of people freaking out right now, including my family.”
Moving forward, the Lakers will try to regain the momentum that led to seven victories in nine games before consecutive road defeats against the Houston Rockets on Sunday and then the Mavericks.
“It sucks, obviously, especially knowing where we were and how well we’ve been playing,” said Los Angeles star LeBron James, who had 18 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists at Dallas.
The veteran Lakers struggled to match the energy of the opportunistic Mavericks, who were playing without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
The Lakers’ Austin Reaves scored 15 points, but with just one assist, in the loss. He has taken on an expanded role of late with averages of 22.6 points and 9.1 assists over his past seven games.
“In terms of the energy, it felt like we played a little tired,” Redick said. “I don’t think it was a competitive level. They were the tougher team and dictated the game to us versus vice versa.”
The Hornets arrived in Los Angeles after a much-needed 115-104 victory at home over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday to end a 10-game losing streak. LaMelo Ball scored 32 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Miles Bridges added 21 points.
Charlotte shot just 38.8 percent from the floor but won with a season-best 26 made free throws on 29 attempts.
Ball was on the floor for the sixth time over the past 17 games, while the Hornets were playing with their expected starting five for the third time this season and the second time in two games.
“We have enough in that locker room when it comes to talent (and) competitiveness,” Hornets head coach Charles Lee said, according to the Charlotte Observer. “We just have to sustain it for four quarters. … We need to continue to just stack good days over good days and we’ll come out on the other side of all of it.”
The Hornets had also lost 18 of its previous 19 games and had not won at home since Nov. 21. Now comes a visit to Los Angeles, with the Hornets carrying a 2-14 road record.
Ball, a native of the Los Angeles area, has averaged 23.6 points with 8.6 rebounds in five career games against the hometown Lakers. He last played the Lakers in Los Angeles in December 2022 when he scored 24 points with seven rebounds and six assists.
–Field Level Media
