The Lakers (33-21) conclude a 7-game road trip in Charlotte (27-25) against the Hornets on Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet.
Below are three things to know in advance of the matchup:
AVOIDING A TRAP GAME
There’s a tendency in the NBA for teams that are on the final leg of a long trip to be looking ahead to their own beds just a bit, and losing focus on the opponent in front of them. The Lakers will be fighting that trend in Charlotte, which is actually the fifth straight road city on this current trip (the second of seven straight road games was against the Clippers in Los Angeles).