Visiting the Lakers and Charlotte Hornets in Los Angeles will return from the All-Star break earlier than previously planned when they met the make-up game on Wednesday.
Originally scheduled for January 9th, the game has been postponed amid ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
The Hornets were originally set to face Anthony Davis and the Lakers, but the rescheduled game pits them in a different challenge with Luka Donsic, which was acquired by Los Angeles on February 2nd.
Doncic played two games with his new team. Both are against the Utah Jazz. He scored 14 points last Wednesday in a home victory over the Jazz on February 10th and 16 points in road losses. Both games came after missing a month and a half due to a calf injury.
Despite losses last week, Los Angeles have won 10 of their last 12 games. Star LeBron James has decided to sit at Sunday’s All-Star Festival, with painful left foot and ankle, focusing on the two months left of the season.
He is expected to face the Hornets while continuing to build on-court chemistry with Donsic.
“… To add players of that caliber, that generation of talent is what fueled me,” James said over the All-Star weekend. “I’m looking forward to what we can do. So far we’ve only had two games. I think he’s been limiting a few minutes after he’s returned from the calf.
“I think we can continue to do very good things as he continues to take shape, but we’ll see what happens.”
The Hornets stepped into the break after losing three games, dropping nine of their last 10 contests and 11 of 13 returning on January 22nd. These losses were a 112-107 home loss to the Lakers in January. 27.
At a previous meeting with Los Angeles, Charlotte’s Lamelo Ball left nine minutes later with a left ankle injury. Ball has played in just two games, including an early departure with a right ankle injury on February 10th with a 2019 injury to the Brooklyn Nets.
Though he’s not been an All-Star this season, the ball has instead gotten a lot of needed recovery time despite averaging 27.3 points, 7.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 33 games.
The Hornets lost 17 of their 18 games when the ball comes out, and the presence of natives in the Los Angeles area is essential for the Hornets’ chances.
The Hornets and Lakers agreed to the deal before the trade deadline, but Charlotte’s big man Mark Williams lost his body in Los Angeles, and Cam Reddish and Rookie Dalton Necht sent him to Charlotte. The swap was solved.
If Williams seized the court on Wednesday, it will be his first match since the deal was stopped.
“We have always given great respect for Mark’s talent, work ethic and personality,” the Hornets said in a statement. “We are excited to see him rejoin our roster as a dynamic presence in the starting center position. His return strengthens our team, and he I look forward to the impact of coming and going to the court.”
Williams had a hard time defending Davis, who had 42 points and 23 rebounds in his loss to the Lakers last month, scoring 11 points with eight rebounds. Davis was sent to the Dallas Mavericks on a Don Chic contract.
– Field-level media
