Hornets Vs. Lakers Preview: Returning From All-Star Break & Facing Mark Williams After Rescinded Trade
Yesterday at 08:15 PM
The Los Angeles Lakers return from the 2025 All-Star break one day early as they face the Charlotte Hornets at home on Wednesday in a makeup game from early January.
This game was rescheduled from Jan. 9 amid the wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles community. Having the game be on the final day of the All-Star break was the only way the game would work in both the Lakers and Hornets’ schedules. And although the Hornets are one of the league’s worst teams, there is some intrigue in this Wednesday night outing.
For starters, the expectation from Lakers head coach JJ Redick is that Luka Doncic is no longer in need of a minutes restriction. He played 47 minutes total in his first two games with the Lakers, but it seems he’ll be fully let off the leash medically on Wednesday night. This gives Lakers fans the first chance to see a possibly fully healthy Doncic.
LeBron James — who was considered questionable after sitting out the All-Star Game on Sunday — is playing as well, meaning L.A.’s superstar duo should be in full effect in this one. In fact, this is perhaps the cleanest injury report of the season for L.A. as only Maxi Kleber is out.
The possibly even more intriguing story line for the night is on the Hornets side, as Mark Williams is expected to play his first game for Charlotte since being traded to the Lakers and having the deal rescinded due to a failed physical.
The Hornets put out a statement after L.A. rescinded the deal sharing their excitement for Williams’ return, only for rumors to surface that the team was exploring ways to protest the Lakers’ decision and force the trade through anyways.
Commissioner Adam Silver said the Hornets never formally went through with that, and now Williams is taking the floor on Wednesday against the team that acquired and sent him back.
On the basketball side, the Lakers should have the advantage in just about all phases in this game. The Hornets have the third-worst offense in the NBA this season, and although they are a relatively decent 13th-ranked defense, they don’t have much along the wings to stop both Doncic and James as Brandon Miller, Josh Okogie and Grant Williams are all out.
The Lakers would love to get an easy win to start the second half of the season as they jockey for positioning in the Western Conference. They are in fifth place, 0.5 games back of the Houston Rockets at No. 4, three games back of the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 2, two games ahead of the L.A. Clippers in sixth and three games ahead of the No. 7 seed Minnesota Timberwolves.
Los Angeles Lakers (32-20) vs. Charlotte Hornets (13-19)
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, 7:00 p.m. PT
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Rui Hachimura
PF: LeBron James
C: Jaxson Hayes
Key Reserves: Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Alex Len
Projected Hornets Starting Lineup:
PG: LaMelo Ball
SG: Nick Smith Jr.
SF: Josh Green
PF: Miles Bridges
C: Mark Williams
Key Reserves: Jusuf Nurkic, Moussa Diabate, Seth Curry
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