The LA Lakers will hope that superstar LeBron James is fit when they welcome the Eastern Conference laggards Charlotte Hornets to Los Angeles on Thursday morning. The game, earlier scheduled for late January, was postponed due to the wildfires in Los Angeles. The two teams will restart proceedings after the All-Star Game break. LeBron James sat out the All-Star Game on Sunday for the first time in 20 years after failing to recover from an ankle injury. The 40-year-old missed the Lakers game with the Indiana Pacers because of a sore ankle. The Lakers, who lost to the Utah Jazz before the break, are huge favorites to beat the Hornets with one win in ten.
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BASKETBALL: NBA Regular Season
Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
Venue: Crypto.Com Arena, Los Angeles
Date: 20.02.2025 06:00
LA Lakers
The LA Lakers exchanged wins with the Utah Jazz before the All-Star Game weekend. After beating the Jazz 132-113 in the first of the back-to-back at Los Angeles, the Lakers lost 131-119 on the road to the Jazz, who snapped their six-game winning streak. Playing with LeBron James and Luka Dončić, the Lakers trailed for the first three quarters, and even though they managed to win the fourth, the damage had been done. LeBron James scored 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Luka Dončić added 16 points, but Rui Hachimura led LA with 19 points. In a game in which LeBron's son, Bronny James, hit a career-high nine points in the fourth quarter, Utah opened a gap in the third quarter with a 22-2 run. New acquisition Luka Dončić complained of rustiness in his post-game presser.
With 30 games left and us trying to make a playoff push in the wild, wild West, I felt it was very important for me to take care of myself and understand what's coming on [down the stretch].
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets (13-39, fourteenth in the East) are on a three-game losing skid and have one victory from their last ten games. Before the All-Star Game break, the Hornets lost 103-36 to the Orlando Magic in a second straight game where they scored less than 90 points. Depleted by injuries to the roster, Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Josh Green and Damian Baugh scored 16 each. LaMelo Ball and Mousa Diabate missed the game with a sore right ankle and right eye abrasion, respectively, as the Hornets' injury list lengthened. With Diabate confirmed to be out of the game in Los Angeles, the Hornets have strengthened with the signing of Guard Wendell Moore Jr. to a two-way contract.
Just the excitement of adding a caliber player like that, a generational talent like that, to our franchise, it's something that's given me energy. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do. I think we could be really good going down the stretch. But we'll see what happens.
Betting Odds
The Charlotte Hornets are 6.54 underdogs on 1xBet, which prices over 223.5 at 1.95 odds. On Betway, the LA Lakers is 1.61 to win with the (-10.5) handicap, while the Hornets team's total under 104.5 is 1.82 odds. Miles Bridges is 1.83 to score over 23.5 points on Bet365, with Josh Green priced at 1.90 to hit over 7.5. Read more here.
Bet on Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets with 1xBet
