The Los Angeles Lakers opened the second half of the NBA season with a loss, and they’re still waiting for a signature Luka Dončić performance.
After leading by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, the Lakers went without a field goal for six minutes while the Hornets took over at Crypto.com Arena. A LeBron James-led comeback then erased a nine-point lead, but the Hornets pulled out the 100-97 win in the end.
The loss pushed the Lakers record to 32-21, and 1-2 with Dončić in the lineup.
After scoring 14 points in his Lakers debut and 16 in his second game, Dončić once again struggled with efficiency coming out of the All-Star break. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting (1 of 9 from 3-point range) with 11 rebounds, eight assists and six turnovers. He was in foul trouble for much of the game.
Down the stretch, it was LaMelo Ball running things for the Hornets, sometimes at Dončić’s expense.
James had 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting with 11 assists, seven rebounds, two blocks and two turnovers. More than half of his points came in the fourth quarter, such as when he did this:
A game against the Hornets carried some intrigue because of the trade deadline move that went up in smoke last week. Hornets center Mark Williams was supposed to become Dončić’s primary lob threat in the paint, but the Lakers killed the trade after his physical, leaving them with a big man duo of Jaxson Hayes and the recently signed Alex Len.
Williams had a moment after the game with Dalton Knecht, the rookie who would have headed to Charlotte had the trade gone through.
Williams posted 10 points and nine rebounds, while Hayes and Len combined for eight points and five rebounds.
As head coach JJ Redick announced before the game, the Lakers used a 10-man rotation for the game, a reflection of everyone getting healthy and Los Angeles still trying to figure out its ideal rotation for a team built around the ball-dominant James and Dončić. Len, Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht all saw at least 10 minutes each off the bench.
That rotation did become a nine-man unit midway through the game when Austin Reaves was ejected after picking up a double technical foul for continuing to argue a call.
It should be noted that while the game was a thriller at the end, neither team exactly looked its best. Even when the Lakers were building their lead, they were committing an unsustainable amount of turnovers. And even while the Hornets got it together, they ended up shooting only 36.3% from the field. Slight advantages in rebounding, turnovers and 3-pointers made up for that shortage.
The bigger question for the Lakers is when exactly Dončić will get things going. It is definitely acceptable for a player like Dončić, adjusting to a complete upheaval of his career and returning from an injury, to have a slow start, but he is currently shooting 16 of 45 as a Laker and has yet to crack 20 points. Some of his turnovers Wednesday were plain sloppy.
Fortunately, Los Angeles still has plenty of runway to get things going for the playoffs. The Lakers’ next game will be Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second half of a back-to-back.
The Lakers are still figuring things out
Luka Doncic frustrated by his rough shooting game, but the Lakers believe he’ll find his rhythm soon
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after making a shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/William Liang)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic couldn’t find his shot in his third game with the Los Angeles Lakers, and LeBron James couldn’t make up for it.
Yet the Lakers all say they aren’t worried after their embarrassing 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
Doncic scored 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting, including a 1-for-9 performance on 3-point attempts. The Slovenian superstar added 11 rebounds and eight assists, but also committed six turnovers and five personal fouls while playing 33 minutes in his longest performance since joining the Lakers in a blockbuster trade with Dallas.
“Obviously, it’s going to take a little time,” Doncic said. “Today, a lot of rustiness from my part. Started the game with like four or five turnovers. That can’t happen. Just got to play basketball the right way.”
The evening was clearly frustrating to Doncic, who was playing only his third NBA game following a 6 1/2-week absence due to a calf strain incurred on Christmas. On a couple of occasions when this normally electrifying scorer managed to make a shot against the Hornets, Doncic reacted with a visible mix of relief and frustration.
Doncic is 16 for 45 from the field in his three games with the Lakers, but just 5 for 24 on 3-point attempts — including 2 for 16 in his two home games, where fans have buzzed with anticipation of each shot and then groaned at each clank.
Back-to-back losses to cellar-dwelling Utah and Charlotte are grim results for a team that had won 10 of 11, but the 40-year-old James also isn’t concerned about Doncic’s start in purple and gold.
“It’s his third game since Christmas, and it’s his third game with us,” James said. “He still doesn’t know all the plays. He doesn’t know all the defensive coverages, all the signals and things that we’ve built up since September. Obviously, we’re trying to fast-track it on the fly. He’s coming back from his injury. He’s getting back into form, so we’re working through it together.”
Not everything was grim about Doncic’s performance against Charlotte, his first in which he didn’t have a minutes restriction since his injury return. He led Los Angeles in rebounds, and his plus-13 rating was the Lakers’ best number despite his turnovers.
“He’s got to be comfortable being himself, because he’s one of the best players in the world,” said Austin Reaves, whose third-quarter ejection was swiftly followed by the Hornets’ 22-1 run. “We need him to be him, and it’s just going to take a couple of games, a couple of weeks to figure out what that best looks like. But we can figure it out fairly quickly.”
With the game on the line in the final seconds, Doncic was the one inbounding the ball to James, who then missed two 3-point attempts in the final six seconds. Doncic had no problem with not being in the late-game spotlight.
“He had it going, so obviously we’re going to go to him,” Doncic said. “I think it’ll go both ways. One time it’s going to be him, and one time me. I think it depends on how the game is going.”
The Lakers acquired Doncic from the Mavs on Feb. 2 in a seismic trade that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas.
Doncic played in both of the Lakers’ final two games before the All-Star break, but he logged only 47 total minutes while the Lakers eased him back into competition. Doncic then got several days of recovery and reset while the rest of the NBA’s top players convened in San Francisco for the All-Star Game.
“Honestly, I was getting my mind off basketball a little bit,” Doncic said. “I’m just excited to come back and play. I missed a lot of time. I’ve never missed this much time, so it was something new to me. Now I’m just excited to get back to play.”
Doncic won’t have time to dwell on this slow start: The Lakers jumped on a plane to Portland after their loss, and they’ll face the Trail Blazers on Thursday before visiting Denver on Saturday.
And the Lakers’ next home game? It’s against the Mavericks on Tuesday.
With the shock of the midseason trade fading more each day, Doncic is eager to look to the future.
“This is one of the greatest clubs in the world, and I’m just happy to be here,” Doncic said. “Obviously, I’m going to need some time, but I’m happy to represent the Lakers.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
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James and Doncic struggle as Hornets upset Lakers
Luka Doncic and LeBron James scored 40 points between them
LaMelo Ball scored 27 points as the Charlotte Hornets upset the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA with a 100-97 victory.
The fixture, which was rearranged following the wildfires in Los Angeles, was the first game since the All-Star break.
But the rest appeared to do the Lakers little good, as LeBron James and Luka Doncic struggled to gel in their third appearance together since the Slovenian’s trade from Dallas Mavericks.
Miles Bridges top scored for the Hornets with 29 points but it was Ball that proved decisive, scoring a lay-up and two free throws all within the final 15 seconds of the match.
James, who scored 16 of his 26 points in the final quarter, missed twice from three-point range in a bid to tie the match.
Doncic managed 14 points and 11 assists.
It was just the second win in 11 games for the Hornets, who are 14th in the 15-team eastern conference.
The Lakers are fifth in the western conference, on a two-game losing streak.
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