Los Angeles Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets Game Preview
Lakers look for second straight win
After dropping three straight to the San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, and Sacramento Kings, the Lakers (24-14) were able to get back on track with a convincing win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
Los Angeles will look to follow it up with another win on Thursday night as they take on a young and struggling Charlotte Hornets (14-26) team.
Deandre Ayton’s presence in the paint
With Jaxson Hayes (hamstring) missing his second straight game, the Lakers will look towards Deandre Ayton to take on a majority of the minutes at the center position.
Los Angeles is 11-0 when Ayton is able to contribute at least 15 points and 10 rebounds in games this season. With a larger role expected, the first-year Laker will look to make his paint presence known against the Hornets.
Rui Hachimura’s second game back
The Lakers were able to get Rui Hachimura back on Tuesday after the usual starter missed seven straight games with his calf injury.
He logged seven points and two rebounds in 18 minutes against the Hawks.
Expect him to continue working his way back from the injury under a minute restriction once again on Thursday.
Jake LaRavia and Rui Hachimura are likely to share time at small forward/power forward, with LaRavia expected to handle the majority of minutes.
The LeBron James factor
The King played in his first back-to-back of the 2025-26 season to begin this week. This confirms that LeBron James is starting to get back to full health as he’s played at least 33 minutes over the Lakers’ past six games.
In this streak, he’s averaged 27.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.8 assists while shooting an impressive 55 percent from the field.
The combination of him and Luka Doncic has carried a large part of the Lakers’ scoring presence since Austin Reaves has been sidelined with his calf strain.
Both James and Doncic will be available tonight in a game that carries added urgency for Los Angeles. The Lakers have struggled to find consistency since their seven-game winning streak in mid-to-late November.
Lakers vs. Hornets tips off at 10:30 p.m. EST.
