Through 2 Quarters
We’ve seen some fireworks two quarters in as the Charlotte Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers have combined for 123 points. Either team is in a position to win, but Charlotte leads 62-61.
Point guard LaMelo Ball has led the way so far for the Hornets, as he has 14 points and six assists in addition to four rebounds. One thing Charlotte has working against them is foul trouble: Nick Richards, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Mason Plumlee have all picked up some fouls.
Los Angeles hasn’t had any offensive standouts so far with all players held to 12 points or fewer.
This is the first time Charlotte has been ahead going into the third quarter in the past seven games.
Who’s Playing
Charlotte @ Los Angeles
Current Records: Charlotte 5-6; Los Angeles 5-5
What to Know
The Charlotte Hornets haven’t won a game against the Los Angeles Lakers since Jan. 5 of 2018, but they’ll be looking to end the drought on Monday. The Hornets might have tired legs after a contest yesterday as they head on the road against Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. ET Nov. 8 at Staples Center. The point spread is more or less neutral, so fans should expect a close matchup.
The contest between Charlotte and the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday was not a total blowout, but with Charlotte falling 120-106 on the road, it was darn close to turning into one. The top scorers for Charlotte were small forward Miles Bridges (21 points) and point guard LaMelo Ball (21 points). Miles Bridges’ performance made up for a slower matchup against the Sacramento Kings this past Friday.
Meanwhile, the Lakers ended up a good deal behind the Portland Trail Blazers when they played this past Saturday, losing 105-90. Los Angeles was down 93-62 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. One thing holding Los Angeles back was the mediocre play of point guard Russell Westbrook, who did not have his best game: he played for 29 minutes but put up just eight points on 1-for-13 shooting and six turnovers.
With both teams hitting sour notes in their previous games, they will no doubt be looking to produce a better outcome in this one. Allowing an average of 117.64 points per game, Charlotte hasn’t exactly asserted themselves on the defensive end. We’ll see if they can patch up the holes in their defense before their upcoming matchup.
How To Watch
When: Monday at 10:30 p.m. ETWhere: Staples Center — Los Angeles, CaliforniaTV: NBATVOnline streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Follow: CBS Sports AppTicket Cost: $36.00
Odds
The Lakers are a slight 2.5-point favorite against the Hornets, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
Los Angeles have won six out of their last 11 games against Charlotte.
Apr 13, 2021 – Los Angeles 101 vs. Charlotte 93Mar 18, 2021 – Los Angeles 116 vs. Charlotte 105Oct 27, 2019 – Los Angeles 120 vs. Charlotte 101Mar 29, 2019 – Los Angeles 129 vs. Charlotte 115Dec 15, 2018 – Los Angeles 128 vs. Charlotte 100Jan 05, 2018 – Charlotte 108 vs. Los Angeles 94Dec 09, 2017 – Los Angeles 110 vs. Charlotte 99Feb 28, 2017 – Charlotte 109 vs. Los Angeles 104Dec 20, 2016 – Charlotte 117 vs. Los Angeles 113Jan 31, 2016 – Charlotte 101 vs. Los Angeles 82Dec 28, 2015 – Charlotte 108 vs. Los Angeles 98
Injury Report for Los Angeles
LeBron James: Out (Abdomen)Kendrick Nunn: Out (Knee)Talen Horton-Tucker: Out (Thumb)Trevor Ariza: Out (Ankle)
Injury Report for Charlotte
P.J. Washington: Out (Elbow)
