Lakers Suffer Brutal Loss to Hornets, 100-97. Reaves Ejected, Luka Struggles

Fans might have been willing to forgive last week's loss to Utah heading into the All-Star break, with all the upheaval around the trade deadline, including the arrival of Luka Dončić and the non-arrival of Mark Williams. Bad games happen, even if they shouldn't. But losing Wednesday at home against Charlotte? That one is gonna annoy people. Final score, 100-97. There was plenty not to like. Austin Reaves, already having a rough game to that point, lost his cool after a non-call late in the third and quickly picked up a pair of T's. Luka, while playing more minutes (33) and piling up rebounds (11) and assists (eight), also turned the ball over six times and was 5-18 from the floor. The Lakers turned the ball over 18 times. they took 51 3's as a team, and only made 15. 41 percent from the floor, overall. Only 12 FTAs, on their home floor. This was ugly. It also exposed some of the things that are going to be a challenge going forward for the Lakers while they figure out the Luka/LeBron combination, and even potentially after things get smoother in that regard. The Lakers have struggled against zones all year, and Wednesday was no different. But particularly after Reaves was tossed, the inability of the Lakers to get into the paint off the dribble was pretty stark. Before, they always had Davis as a presence to get the ball inside. Now, they have to find other ways to push the ball towards the basket. And then for long stretches, it felt like Luka and LeBron were wearing the same uniform, but not necessarily playing in the same game. Over time, the Lakers are going to have to find ways to get the two of them more active together from possession to possession. Yes, ther will always bee some "your turn, my turn" going on, and that's not necessarily bad, even. But it can't be all of what's happening, either. And, no question, center is a problem. Jaxson Hayes was fine on Wednesday. Alex Len was... fine-ish. But LA just isn't going to be in a position to make that position a plus. So it's a matter of minimizing the downside and capitalizing on the good matchups. Logic said this would always be a process. The hope was the Lakers could work through it while winning games, especially against bad teams. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened, and with another challenging game tonight in Portland, the Lakers are going to need to turn things around over time against better competition. That's just a function of the schedule and the reality of making such a massive in-season trade. But there's still plenty of reason to believe that better games are ahead. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: The Lakers lose to Charlotte, 100-97. SEGMENT 2: A bad night for Reaves, a struggle for Luka. SEGMENT 3: Wednesday showed where some of the team's issues are. Your favorite podcast now has a newsletter! 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