The Los Angeles Lakers will look to redeem themselves on Monday after a brutal 122-102 blowout loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
That season-worst defeat was so rough — the Lakers may have been missing LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Gabe Vincent, but the Hawks were without Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis — that it inspired a memorably furious reaction from head coach JJ Redick in his postgame presser.
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Now, Los Angeles will face off against a very depleted Charlotte Hornets squad. James and Vincent remain out again, while Reaves’ availability remains up in the air.
Charlotte, though, will be without both All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball and rising forward Brandon Miller. Prolific forward Miles Bridges is considered probable to play through back spasms, per the NBA’s latest injury report.
Here are our expert predictions ahead of the game.
Alex Kirschenbaum: Despite my own guardedly optimistic preseason expectations, the Charlotte Hornets once again are looking like the dregs of the Eastern Conference as their injury problems ramp up. Without Ball, Miller and maybe Bridges, the Hornets could be hard-pressed to hold their own in the scoring department against Los Angeles.
Doncic had a rare off night — for him, anyway — against the Hawks on Saturday, averaging 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from the foul line, plus 11 dimes, five rebounds and a swipe.
Generally, he’s been able to both get his rocks off as a scorer and average double digit assists. On the season, he’s averaging an insane 37.0 points on .490/.319/.779 shooting splits, 10. rebounds, and 9.5 assists, and making an early case for his first MVP award with the 7-3 Lakers.
Look for him to involve his teammates early on, but to strive to score more himself if Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and Deandre Ayton can’t get cooking in the first half. He should be able to at least hit his scoring average for the year against a doomed Charlotte squad.
Alex Kirschenbaum: Luka Doncic will once again be extra dependent on Los Angeles’ role players with LeBron James and Gabe Vincent sidelined. Austin Reaves recently saw his status upgraded to probable to return from a groin injury that has cost him the last three games, but even if he does come back, is it fair to expect him to pick up right where he left off?
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Marcus Smart, meanwhile, has managed to rediscover some of the scoring punch that made him such a lethal two-way threat during his Boston Celtics-era prime.
Center Deandre Ayton and combo forward Jake LaRavia, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka’s other big summer signings, have also stepped up a bit offensively of late. Some combination of this trio needs to have another big night.
Patrick Warren: The Hornets are looking to avoid losing their third straight, but the Lakers aren’t going to let that happen — especially after a disappointing loss of their own Saturday against the Hawks. Look for big games from Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, who could expose a weakened Charlotte frontcourt. Lakers 121, Hornets 99.
Alex Kirschenbaum: After that messy Hawks defeat, nothing is a given anymore. That said, the Hornets are missing two of their three best players in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, and have gone just 3-6 to start their season. While I expected the club to start off stronger than this, I’m considered that these health problems could derail their season early. Los Angeles with Doncic should pounce. Lakers 114, Hornets 102.
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