Charlotte Hornets (8-24) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (13-18)
The 2022-23 NBA betting action goes on Friday, December 23, with the Charlotte Hornets taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in the cross-conference battle at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, with the tip-off at 10:30 PM ET.
Charlotte meets Purple-and-Gold for the first time this season. While the Hornets miss Dennis Smith Jr. (ankle) and Cody Martin (knee), the Lakers are without Anthony Davis (foot), so let’s take a closer look.
After stopping their ugly eight-game losing streak with a 125-119 victory at the Sacramento Kings this past Monday, the Charlotte Hornets returned to losing ways on Wednesday night, suffering a heavy 126-105 defeat at the Los Angeles Clippers. Lonzo Ball went off for a triple-double of 25 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds, but that didn’t help at all, as the Clippers dominated the Hornets from start to finish.
Charlotte made only 40.2% of its field goals and nine of its 31 attempts from deep against one of the best defensive units in the league. The Hornets notched 54 points in the paint and forced the Clippers into a whopping 27 turnovers, but LA made 23 triples and scored 20 fast-break points.
“When you don't get your defense set against them, they have so much skill on the floor, and you're always a step behind,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “When we get our defense set, we're good and when we don't, like tonight, we're in trouble.”
.@MELOD1P: 25 PTS, 12 AST, 11 REB@masonplumlee: 18 PTS, 2 STL@jalenmcdaniels5: 16 PTS, 9 REB, 2 STL
Presented by @drpepper pic.twitter.com/MM4pNIoCyL
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) December 22, 2022
Terry Rozier (20.9 PPG, 5.5 APG) has missed the last two games due to a hip injury and is questionable to play Friday against the Lakers. The Hornets still own the worst offensive rating in the NBA, tallying 108.3 points per 100 possessions. They surrender 115.3 points per 100 possessions (27th in the league) on a 55.0 effective field goal percentage (24th).
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