The Los Angeles Lakers lost their last game before the All-Star break to the Utah Jazz 131-119 on Feb. 12, and on Wednesday, they resumed their schedule while looking to get back in the win column. Instead, they got themselves mired in a slugfest with the vastly inferior Charlotte Hornets.
Both teams shot poorly and had poor shot selection, and even though the Lakers held a 13-point lead early in the third quarter, it gradually disappeared until they found themselves behind by the end of the quarter. They fought to make things competitive in crunch time, but they ended up on the wrong side of a 100-97 decision.