Lakers slip up against Hornets in a game with a score to settle

(AFP) In another unexpected stumble, the Los Angeles Lakers lost 100-97 on their home court Wednesday night to a Charlotte Hornets team that was hungry for revenge.

LeBron James tried to rescue the Los Angeles team by scoring 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, but he missed two 3-pointers in the final seconds that would have sent the game to overtime.

Luka Doncic came close to a triple double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, but with a dismal 5-18 shooting from the field (1-9 3-pointers) and 6 turnovers.

In his three games as a Laker, the Slovenian phenom has two losses to the Hornets and another to the Utah Jazz, the second-to-last ranked team in each conference, and only one win against the Jazz.

Wednesday's game, the only game of the day in the NBA, was scheduled for Jan. 9, but was postponed because of the fires that hit Los Angeles.

The Lakers and Hornets thus met just days after a botched trade agreed between the two. The deal was supposed to send young center Mark Williams to Los Angeles, but, with the trade already officially announced, the Lakers backed out over concerns about the center's physical condition raised during the medical examination.

The Lakers were in control of the scoreboard early until suffering a drought late in the third quarter.

Charlotte then accelerated with a 23-1 run by its two leaders, LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, who finished with 27 and 29 points, respectively.

The Lakers also lost their shooting guard, Austin Reaves, who was ejected for the first time in his career with two straight technical fouls for arguing with officials.