LOS ANGELES — It was supposed to be the night the Los Angeles Lakers (24-15) stabilized their season. Instead, a kid from Chino Hills turned the “City of Stars” into his own personal playground.
LaMelo Ball put on a breathtaking shooting display on Thursday night, exploding for 30 points and 11 assists to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a stunning 135-117 blowout victory over the Lakers. Ball, playing in front of a hometown crowd, scored 27 of his 30 points in the second half, hitting a career-high nine 3-pointers—eight of which came in a second-half barrage that left the Lakers’ defense in tatters.
The Third-Quarter Avalanche
The game started with the script the Lakers wanted. Luka Dončić came out aggressive, scoring 19 points in the first quarter alone as Los Angeles jumped out to a 39-30 lead. But the momentum shifted violently in the second half.
As the third quarter began, LaMelo Ball entered “the zone.” Whether it was step-back triples from the logo or “look-away” assists to Brandon Miller (26 points), Ball played with a level of joy and audacity that the Lakers simply couldn’t match. Charlotte outscored the Lakers 105-78 over the final three quarters, shooting a blistering 46.5% from deep as a team.
“When you’re back home, the rim just looks a little bigger,” Ball said with a grin post-game. “I saw the first one go in, and after that, I stopped thinking. We just wanted to run and have fun.”
Luka’s Lone Stand and the Bench Blackout
For the Lakers, the loss highlighted a growing and painful disparity. Luka Dončić was spectacular, finishing with 39 points on 15-of-26 shooting, while LeBron James looked physically sharp with 29 points and 9 rebounds.
However, the “supporting cast” was nowhere to be found. The Lakers’ bench, which has been a point of contention all season, managed just 9 total points on a combined 4-for-19 shooting. New additions Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart struggled to contain Charlotte’s transition game, with Ayton finding himself in early foul trouble against the Hornets’ “small-ball” lineups.
LeBron James: “We Are Playing on Talent Alone”
The atmosphere in the Lakers’ locker room after the game was somber. With four losses in their last five games—including “unacceptable” defeats to Sacramento and Charlotte—the 41-year-old LeBron James didn’t mince words about the team’s current identity crisis.
“We are playing like a team that expects to win on talent alone, and in this league, that gets you beat every single night,” James told reporters. “The defensive rotations were non-existent. We didn’t respect the game tonight, and the basketball gods punished us for it.”
