The Los Angeles Lakers return one day early from the 2025 All-Star break, as they take on the Charlotte Hornets at home on Wednesday in a rescheduled game from early January.
This match was postponed from January 9 due to the wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area. Scheduling the game for the last day of the All-Star break was the only way it could fit into both the Lakers and Hornets’ calendars. Even though the Hornets rank among the league’s poorest teams, there is some interest in this Wednesday night game.
To begin with, Lakers head coach JJ Redick anticipates that Luka Doncic no longer requires a restriction on his playing time. He spent a total of 47 minutes on the court in his initial two games with the Lakers, but it appears he’ll be completely unrestricted medically on Wednesday night. This offers Lakers supporters their initial opportunity to observe a potentially fully healthy Doncic.
LeBron James — deemed questionable after missing the All-Star Game on Sunday — is playing as well, implying that L.A.’s star duo will be fully active in this matchup. In fact, this might be the most unblemished injury report of the season for L.A. since only Maxi Kleber is unavailable.
The potentially more captivating storyline of the evening lies with the Hornets, as Mark Williams is anticipated to participate in his first game for Charlotte after being traded to the Lakers, which was reversed because of an unsuccessful physical.
The Hornets issued a statement following L.A.’s retraction of the deal, expressing their enthusiasm for Williams’ return, but soon rumors emerged that the team was looking into methods to challenge the Lakers’ choice and push the trade through regardless.
Commissioner Adam Silver stated that the Hornets never officially proceeded with that, and now Williams is set to play on Wednesday against the team that obtained and then returned him.
In terms of basketball, the Lakers are likely to hold the upper hand in nearly every aspect of this matchup. The Hornets rank as having the third-poorest offense in the NBA this season, and even though they possess a reasonably solid defense at 13th place, they lack the wing players necessary to contain both Doncic and James, as Brandon Miller, Josh Okogie, and Grant Williams are all unavailable.
The Lakers are eager to secure a straightforward victory to kick off the second half of the season while competing for a better spot in the Western Conference. They sit in fifth position, trailing the Houston Rockets in fourth by 0.5 games, three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies in second, two games in front of the L.A. Clippers in sixth, and three games ahead of the seventh-seeded 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