Ball gets one up on James and misfiring Doncic in NBA

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Ball gets one up on James and misfiring Doncic in NBA

LaMelo Ball has got one up on superstar duo LeBron James and a misfiring Luka Doncic, sparking the Charlotte Hornets to an upset 100-97 win over the host Los Angeles Lakers.

In the NBA’s first game following the All-Star break, the lowly-ranked Hornets (14-39) snapped a three-game losing skid on Wednesday as Ball scored 27 points, including a driving layup with 14.2 seconds remaining.

Miles Bridges scored 29 points, Nick Smith Jr. had 12 and Mark Williams added 10 points with nine rebounds for the Hornets, who also got four points, three rebounds, an assist and two steals from their *********** starter Josh Green.

The day’s only NBA match was a make-up game, rescheduled after their January fixture was postponed due to the LA wildfires.

Ball, a Los Angeles-area native, added six assists with five rebounds while helping to fuel a 23-3 run between the third and fourth quarters.

James scored 26 points with 11 assists and Rui Hachimura had 17 points with eight rebounds as the Lakers (32-21) lost consecutive games for the first time since January 5-7.

But James missed a pair of 3-point attempts in the closing seconds that would have tied the game.

Doncic had 14 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists in his third game since he was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline.

The Slovenian ace shot just five of 18 from the floor and one of nine from 3-point range and also committed six turnovers and five personal fouls while playing 33 minutes in his longest performance since joining the Lakers.

Doncic is 16 for 45 from the field in his three games with the Lakers, but just five for 24 on 3-point attempts — including two for 16 in his two home games, where fans have buzzed with anticipation of each shot and then groaned at each clank.

“It’s his third game since Christmas, and it’s his third game with us,” James said. “He still doesn’t know all the plays. He doesn’t know all the defensive coverages, all the signals and things that we’ve built up since September.

“Obviously, we’re trying to fast-track it on the fly. He’s coming back from his injury. He’s getting back into form, so we’re working through it together.”

Dorian Finney-Smith had 12 points off the bench for Los Angeles, who lost Austin Reaves (eight points) after he was ejected for arguing a non-call in the third quarter. The Lakers led by as many as 13 in the third quarter.

– with The AP and AAP

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