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As the only NBA game on the schedule tonight, all eyes were in Los Angeles where the Lakers met the Hornets at the arena. After LeBron James was announced as available for the game, Lakers fans were hopeful for an easy win. Instead, the Purple and Gold fell flat in just about every way to mark their second straight loss in the Luka Doncic era.
The Lakers ended the first quarter with a seven-point lead (28-21) but nine early turnovers put the Hornets in position to take the lead down the stretch. By the end of the third, the Lakers were down by three (69-66) in what was an ugly display on offense. While the final score was close (100-97), the Lakers ultimately took the loss to fall to 32-21 on the season.
For the Hornets, Miles Bridges was the difference maker tonight with 29 points, six rebounds, and five steals on 40.9% shooting. LaMelo Ball caught fire in the second half to finish with 27 points, five rebounds, and six assists on 47.4% shooting. Mark Williams, who vowed vengeance against the Lakers for rescinding his trade, dropped 10 points, nine rebounds, and two assists on 42.9% shooting.
The Lakers, meanwhile, were led by LeBron James who dropped 26 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists on 45.5% shooting. Luka Doncic finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists while Austin Reaves totaled just eight points, two rebounds, and two assists on 3-9 shooting in the loss.
We knew there was going to be some growing pains for the Luka Doncic era in Los Angeles but nobody thought things would look quite this dire. The team chemistry is all out of whack right now and the Lakers practically beat themselves tonight with all the mistakes they made on both ends of the floor.
Ugly Turnovers Cost Lakers The Game
Adding a new player mid-season is always a major adjustment, especially when that player is a mega-star like Luka Doncic. So it's no surprise that the Lakers struggled on offense tonight, mostly due to miscommunication and a lack of team chemistry.
In this game, the Lakers finished with 18 turnovers, well above their season average of 13.6. Out of all the players, Doncic tallied the most turnovers with a total of six in 33 minutes while Austin Reaves and LeBron James combined for five.
The recent roster changes are clearly having an impact on the Lakers' chemistry and the players do not appear to be on the same page regarding their role and fit in the rotation. What the Lakers need is more time and practice but the mid-season trade means they have to adapt on the fly.
Sluggish Start For Luka Doncic
With averages of 24.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game this season, Luka Doncic was putting up MVP numbers before becoming a Laker. With his new team, however, Luka has been a shell of himself and it's starting to raise some concern.
Tonight, in 33 minutes, Doncic put up 14 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists on just 5-18 shooting. He went 1-9 from three and was out of rhythm all game long. The 25-year-old guard was taking tough shots and failed to free himself up for any open looks or easy shot attempts.
Doncic was able to contribute in other ways, but his primary job is to score, and if he's not doing that then the Lakers don't have enough to keep up with a team like the Hornets, who just proved why they can't be counted out. Luka Doncic is the lifeblood of the Lakers now and it's going to be hard to win if he's not playing up to his standards.
Trouble At The Free Throw Line
With Anthony Davis, the Lakers were always getting to the line for easy points after a foul. This season, they rank third in makes at 18.3 per game and sixth in free throw attempts at 23.1.
In the Doncic era so far, however, free throws have been much harder to come by. Against the Hornets, the Lakers somehow only went 8-12 from the charity stripe, and LeBron James only went 2-2 from there in 38 minutes on the court.
For a team that held its identity on earning free throws with tough play around the rim, this is a stark reality check to how much things have changed for the organization. With no confidence or chemistry as a team, the offense was much more randomized and it became harder to rely on getting consistent calls around the rim.
It's not every day that a team wins in the NBA while shooting 36.3% from the field but the Hornets managed to pull it off against a completely dysfunctional Lakers squad.
In the aftermath of the trade deadline, the Lakers were hoping to make a statement about where they stand in the West but they really just exposed some of their biggest problems this season.
With no frontcourt and an imbalanced roster, this season may not be the one where the Lakers win another title but the sooner they can figure out how to play together the sooner they can get back to playing their brand of dominant, competitive basketball.
