James scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, but missed two 3-point attempts right before the buzzer. Doncic had 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in his third game for the Lakers, who bookended the All-Star break with losses to Utah and Charlotte, two of the NBA’s worst teams.

After Nick Smith Jr. hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 48 seconds left, Rui Hachimura missed two free throws. Ball drove for a finger-roll layup with 14.2 seconds left. James hit a 3-pointer with 6.8 seconds left, but Ball hit two free throws and James missed twice to seal the Hornets' second win in 11 games.

Mark Williams had 10 points and nine rebounds in his first game since the Lakers acquired the center in a trade and then rescinded the deal.

Takeaways

Hornets: Trailed 65-53 with four minutes left in the third quarter before making a 22-1 run. Los Angeles missed 10 straight shots in a 6:39 span.

Lakers: Their seven-game home winning streak ended. Austin Reaves was ejected by referee Rodney Mott late in the third quarter after a brief exchange of words, and Charlotte went on a massive run immediately afterward.

Key moment

Doncic put the Lakers ahead with a putback basket with 1:03 to play, but Smith coolly answered with an open 3-pointer — his fourth of the night after an ice-cold start.

Key stat

Doncic was 5 of 18 from the field and 1 for 9 on 3-pointers in a game rescheduled from January due to the devastating wildfires in Southern California .

Up next

Both teams play Thursday night. The Hornets are at Denver, and the Lakers are at Portland.

------

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Mark Williams vs. Jaxson Hayes (LaMelo Ball gains possession)	0	0
11:37	Josh Green misses 23-foot three point jumper	0	0
11:35	Rui Hachimura defensive rebound	0	0
11:22	Luka Doncic bad pass (Josh Green steals)	0	0
11:18	Nick Smith Jr. misses 26-foot three point shot	0	0
11:16	Josh Green offensive rebound	0	0
11:14	Josh Green makes two point shot	0	2
11:00	Luka Doncic bad pass (Miles Bridges steals)	0	2
10:56	Miles Bridges misses two point shot	0	2
10:55	Jaxson Hayes defensive rebound	0	2
10:50	Luka Doncic makes two point shot (LeBron James assists)	2	2
10:37	Miles Bridges makes 25-foot three point jumper (LaMelo Ball assists)	2	5
10:37	Austin Reaves shooting foul	2	5
10:37	Miles Bridges makes free throw 1 of 1	2	6
10:28	Luka Doncic bad pass (Miles Bridges steals)	2	6
10:24	Nick Smith Jr. misses 22-foot three point shot	2	6
10:22	Luka Doncic defensive rebound	2	6
10:17	LeBron James makes 6-foot dunk (Luka Doncic assists)	4	6
10:03	Josh Green bad pass (LeBron James steals)	4	6
9:59	Rui Hachimura lost ball turnover (Miles Bridges steals)	4	6
9:52	Josh Green misses running pullup jump shot	4	6
9:51	Luka Doncic defensive rebound	4	6
9:44	LeBron James makes 25-foot running pullup jump shot	7	6
9:20	Miles Bridges misses 24-foot three point jumper	7	6
9:15	Miles Bridges offensive rebound	7	6
9:10	Nick Smith Jr. misses 9-foot two point shot	7	6
9:08	Rui Hachimura defensive rebound	7	6
9:01	LeBron James makes 30-foot three point shot (Rui Hachimura assists)	10	6
8:59	Hornets Full timeout	10	6
8:51	LaMelo Ball misses 26-foot three point jumper	10	6
8:48	LeBron James defensive rebound	10	6
8:35	Mark Williams shooting foul	10	6
8:35	Rui Hachimura makes free throw 1 of 2	11	6
8:35	Rui Hachimura makes free throw 2 of 2	12	6
8:19	Nick Smith Jr. misses 26-foot three point jumper	12	6
8:14	Austin Reaves defensive rebound	12	6
7:58	Rui Hachimura makes layup (Luka Doncic assists)	14	6
7:37	LaMelo Ball makes 12-foot two point shot	14	8
7:26	Luka Doncic out of bounds bad pass turnover	14	8
7:26	Dorian Finney-Smith enters the game for Jaxson Hayes	14	8
7:17	Miles Bridges misses two point shot	14	8
7:15	LeBron James defensive rebound	14	8
7:10	Austin Reaves misses two point shot	14	8
7:09	Dorian Finney-Smith offensive rebound	14	8
7:09	Dorian Finney-Smith misses 3-foot tip shot	14	8
7:07	Miles Bridges defensive rebound	14	8
7:03	Miles Bridges misses running pullup jump shot	14	8
7:00	Mark Williams offensive rebound	14	8
6:57	Mark Williams makes two point shot	14	10
6:42	Rui Hachimura misses 23-foot three point jumper	14	10
6:40	Miles Bridges defensive rebound	14	10
6:19	Miles Bridges makes 7-foot two point shot	14	12
6:10	Rui Hachimura makes layup (Austin Reaves assists)	16	12
5:55	Josh Green misses 22-foot three point jumper	16	12
5:53	Luka Doncic defensive rebound	16	12
5:49	Luka Doncic out of bounds bad pass turnover	16	12
5:49	Gabe Vincent enters the game for LeBron James	16	12
5:49	Elfrid Payton enters the game for LaMelo Ball	16	12
5:32	Nick Smith Jr. misses 7-foot two point shot	16	12
5:30	Gabe Vincent defensive rebound	16	12
5:21	Luka Doncic misses driving layup	16	12
5:18	Gabe Vincent offensive rebound	16	12
5:11	Luka Doncic misses 23-foot three point step back jumpshot	16	12
5:09	Mark Williams defensive rebound	16	12
5:04	Nick Smith Jr. traveling	16	12
5:04	Jusuf Nurkic enters the game for Mark Williams	16	12
5:04	Seth Curry enters the game for Nick Smith Jr.	16	12
4:54	Dorian Finney-Smith misses 27-foot three point jumper	16	12
4:52	Jusuf Nurkic defensive rebound	16	12
4:43	Miles Bridges misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot	16	12
4:39	Rui Hachimura defensive rebound	16	12
4:31	Rui Hachimura misses 26-foot three point jumper	16	12
4:28	Seth Curry defensive rebound	16	12
4:09	Luka Doncic shooting foul	16	12
4:09	Miles Bridges makes free throw 1 of 2	16	13
4:09	Alex Len enters the game for Rui Hachimura	16	13
4:09	Jarred Vanderbilt enters the game for Luka Doncic	16	13
4:09	Miles Bridges makes free throw 2 of 2	16	14
3:56	Austin Reaves misses 28-foot three point jumper	16	14
3:53	Jusuf Nurkic defensive rebound	16	14
3:51	Dorian Finney-Smith personal foul	16	14
3:38	Miles Bridges makes 10-foot driving floating jump shot (Jusuf Nurkic assists)	16	16
3:23	Jarred Vanderbilt out of bounds bad pass turnover	16	16
3:08	Jusuf Nurkic misses 27-foot three point jumper	16	16
3:06	Jarred Vanderbilt defensive rebound	16	16
2:56	Gabe Vincent bad pass (Miles Bridges steals)	16	16
2:52	Miles Bridges offensive charge	16	16
2:52	Miles Bridges turnover	16	16
2:52	Lakers Full timeout	16	16
2:52	LeBron James enters the game for Austin Reaves	16	16
2:52	DaQuan Jeffries enters the game for Josh Green	16	16
2:39	LeBron James misses 12-foot two point shot	16	16
2:35	Lakers offensive team rebound	16	16
2:29	Gabe Vincent makes 23-foot three point jumper (Dorian Finney-Smith assists)	19	16
2:06	Jusuf Nurkic misses 25-foot three point pullup jump shot	19	16
2:04	Jarred Vanderbilt defensive rebound	19	16
1:56	Dorian Finney-Smith makes 23-foot three point shot (Gabe Vincent assists)	22	16
1:44	Seth Curry misses 28-foot three point jumper	22	16
1:39	Seth Curry offensive rebound	22	16
1:33	Jusuf Nurkic misses 26-foot three point jumper	22	16
1:30	Lakers defensive team rebound	22	16
1:30	Tidjane Salaun enters the game for Miles Bridges	22	16
1:30	LaMelo Ball enters the game for Elfrid Payton	22	16
1:22	Gabe Vincent makes 26-foot three point jumper (LeBron James assists)	25	16
1:11	Gabe Vincent personal foul	25	16
1:03	LaMelo Ball makes 9-foot two point shot	25	18
46.2	LeBron James out of bounds bad pass turnover	25	18
34.1	LaMelo Ball misses 28-foot three point pullup jump shot	25	18
31.1	LeBron James defensive rebound	25	18
26.1	LeBron James misses running pullup jump shot	25	18
23.1	LeBron James offensive rebound	25	18
18.1	Dorian Finney-Smith makes 26-foot three point jumper (LeBron James assists)	28	18
7.0	Tidjane Salaun misses 23-foot three point jumper	28	18
4.0	Tidjane Salaun offensive rebound	28	18
0.0	Seth Curry makes 27-foot three pointer (Jusuf Nurkic assists)	28	21
0.0	(00:00) [Hornets] REF-INITIATED REVIEW (CALL STANDS)	28	21
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	28	21

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Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

crypto.com Arena

Los Angeles, CA

Date & Time

3:00 AM, February 20, 2025

Coverage

NBA League Pass, Spectrum Sports Net, FanDuel SN SE

Attendance

18,997

Referees

Derek Richardson, Josh Tiven, Rodney Mott

2025-26 Southeast Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
Orlando	31	27	.534	L1
Miami	32	29	.525	W1
Charlotte	30	31	.492	W4
Atlanta	30	31	.492	W3
Washington	16	43	.271	L4

2025-26 Pacific Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
LA Lakers	35	24	.593	W1
Phoenix	34	26	.567	W1
Golden State	31	29	.517	L1
LA Clippers	27	31	.466	L3
Sacramento	14	47	.230	W1

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