The league is beginning to realize the Hornets are more than a pest, as the Lakers found out on Thursday when getting KO'd 135-117 by a Charlotte haymaker in LA. Guard the perimeter or risk the consequences vs. Charlotte, which burned the Lakers for 20 triples on Thursday. The emergence of Duke rookie wing Kon Knueppel, along with LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, gives the Hornets three likely 20+-point scorers every night. Note the Warriors needed to hit 55% from the floor to survive a shootout at the Hornet's Nest on New Year's Eve, when Golden State caught Charlotte a bit shorthanded (no Bridges in that game), and the Warriors might need to shoot as well to post a similar margin tonight. Play Hornets