Finally they meet after these two were supposed to get together back on January 9 at Crypto.com only for the matchup to be postponed by the So Cal wildfires. (The makeup date in LA will be February 19, right out of the All-Star break.) The Lake Show is in good form lately with wins in three straight, but note that in road games vs. foes outside of punching bags Golden State and Sacramento, the Lakers have lost six straight. Recent Charlotte form hasn't been too bad, with wins in four of six, and romping past the Pels by 31 on the weekend when LaMelo Ball continued his recent assault with 25 points. Play Hornets

Another play on minutes here. Mark Williams for most of the last 2 seasons was either hurt or in a time share with Nick Richards but since they traded Richards, Williams is playing major minutes and has even scored 19+ in four of his last 6 games. Other Centers who average 17-20 do much better at home vs the Lakers, averaging 21.8 points + assists on their home court. The Lakers also have multiple GTDs, making anyone's life easier on the Charlotte side.