In their first contest following the All-Star break, the Lakers fell to the Hornets with a narrow score of 100-97 on Wednesday evening.

Charlotte initiated a remarkable turnaround with a 20-1 scoring run in the second half, leaving Los Angeles struggling to regain command of the game.

LeBron James led the Lakers, amassing 26 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Luka Dončić faced challenges on the offensive end, finishing with 14 points but contributing eight assists and 11 rebounds. Rui Hachimura added to the score with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.

Dorian Finney-Smith shone from beyond the arc, making four of six attempts for a total of 12 points. Gabe Vincent contributed six points, while Austin Reaves was ejected with 3:17 remaining in the third quarter, wrapping up the game with eight points, two rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

Dallas struck first as Josh Green secured a rebound to set up an attempt. Following that, both LeBron and Luka showcased their skills with LeBron assisting Luka for a spectacular fastbreak dunk, which Luka reciprocated with a lob to LeBron for another dunk. LeBron’s consecutive three-pointers forced Charlotte into an early timeout.

Post-timeout, the Lakers continued to extend their lead while the Hornets struggled with their shooting until LaMelo Ball found a basket off the backboard. However, defensive lapses and turnovers plagued Los Angeles, which shot just 28.6% from three-point range.

Fortunately for the Lakers, the Hornets battled through a poor 28.6% shooting performance overall, helping Los Angeles avoid falling into a significant deficit due to their mistakes. Gabe secured two crucial three-pointers, while Dorian added another two. Seth Curry capped off the first quarter with a buzzer-beating three, leaving L.A. in the lead by seven at the end of the period.

Rui opened the second quarter scoring with a jump shot. Jarred Vanderbilt made his mark with an impressive dunk set up by LeBron, followed by Dalton sinking a three-pointer that prompted the Hornets to take a timeout.

Mark Williams, a former Laker for a fleeting moment, wowed the crowd with a powerful transition dunk. Meanwhile, Luka struggled to find his groove, missing several typical shots before finally connecting with a fadeaway, his second basket of the night.

Unfortunately, the Lakers continued to struggle with turnovers, accumulating a total of 11 by halftime. Despite his earlier struggles, Luka managed to find his shot as they entered the intermission with L.A. leading by 11.

As the second half began, both teams committed turnovers. Luka was fouled and converted his free throws, while LaMelo hit two consecutive three-pointers from deep. Austin then responded with a three of his own, followed by LeBron’s perfect lob to Jaxson Hayes for a dunk.

The game devolved into a chaotic affair, with both teams struggling to maintain possession.

Despite some impressive ball movement by the Lakers leading to new shot opportunities, they struggled to capitalize on missed three-pointers. As they held an eight-point lead, Coach Redick called a timeout to regroup. Luka made a steal and quickly converted for a layup.

Austin hit a vital three-pointer, allowing L.A. to temporarily widen the gap back to double digits. He later demonstrated impressive vision, facilitating a pass to Rui for a dunk. Rui also scored another basket off an assist from Luka, as Los Angeles seemed to be firing on all cylinders.

Austin received two technical fouls, resulting in an early exit from the game. In a sharp turn of events, Charlotte launched an 11-0 run, drawing within two points, prompting the Lakers to regroup with a timeout. Seth Curry’s three-pointer put the Hornets ahead by three at the end of the third quarter.

The final quarter witnessed LaMelo sinking a long three-pointer, initiating a staggering 23-1 run for the Hornets. The lack of energy from the Lakers was evident, but Rui managed to convert a critical three-pointer to halt some momentum. LeBron responded with a driving layup, bringing the Lakers closer within four points.

LeBron made another aggressive push to the basket with a left-handed layup, while Luka nailed a crucial three-pointer. LeBron continued to rally his team with a layup right past LaMelo, as both teams exchanged baskets. LeBron showcased his talent by scoring 11 points in the quarter and made a highlight dunk over Williams that electrified the audience.

Dorian hit his fourth three-pointer of the game, and LeBron connected again with Jaxson for a dunk, putting the Lakers ahead by three with 4:43 remaining.

Bridges countered with another three-pointer, marking his fifth of the game, regaining the lead for the Hornets. Shortly after, Jaxson contributed another dunk to the mix.

Charlotte had a turnover, giving Luka a chance to grab a rebound from a missed Rui dunk and score a layup. The Hornets maintained a hot hand from distance, sinking yet another three-pointer.

Rui missed two free throws at a critical junction.

The Lakers needed to tighten their defense, but failed again, allowing LaMelo to drive in for a floater. With just 14 seconds on the clock, the Hornets were up by four. LeBron managed to sink a three-pointer, but was subsequently fouled by LaMelo, who hit both free throws. LeBron had two final opportunities to equalize the game but came up short both times.

Key Takeaways:

While we’ll cut them some slack given the All-Star break, this loss was messy.

However, allowing the Hornets to take the lead late in the third was inexcusable.

There’s no need for concern! Luka just needs some time to hit his offensive rhythm.

Next up for the Lakers is a game on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:00 PM PT.

Follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.