Charlotte Hornets vs LA Lakers starting lineups and depth chart for Dec. 28, 2023 I 2023-24 NBA Season

The skidding Charlotte Hornets visit the LA Lakers on Thursday, Dec. 28, in an East-versus-West clash at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. It will mark the first encounter between the two squads in the ongoing season of the NBA. Both are coming off losses in their previous games.

The Charlotte Hornets currently sport a 7-21 record, 13th in the Eastern Conference. It has lost eight straight heading into the game against the Lakers, with its most recent coming at the hands of the LA Clippers on Tuesday, 113-104.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 16-15 card. They have hit a rough patch of late, losing six of their last eight games, including the last one, 126-115, on Christmas Day to the rivals Boston Celtics.

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Injuries for Charlotte Hornets vs LA Lakers

Here's a look at the injury reports for the Hornets and Lakers ahead of Thursday's showdown.

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Charlotte Hornets injuries for Dec. 28, 2023

The Charlotte Hornets’ injury report has three players expected to be out because of injuries, namely All-Stars LaMelo Ball (ankle) and Gordon Hayward (calf) and point guard Frank Ntilikina.

Rendered questionable, meanwhile, are center Mark Williams (back) and rookie forward Brandon Miller (ankle).

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LA Lakers injury report Dec. 28, 2023

The Lakers’ injury report for the game at hand is littered with questionable players who are nursing various physical concerns, led by their All-Stars LeBron James (knee) and Anthony Davis (ankle). Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) and Cameron Reddish (groin) are doubtful as well.

Ruled out is Gabe Vincent, who recently underwent a successful arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee and will be reevaluated in eight weeks.

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Charlotte Hornets vs LA Lakers starting lineups and depth charts

Charlotte Hornets starting lineup and depth chart for Dec. 28, 2023

Charlotte started its last game with the quintet of Hayward, Miles Bridges, Nick Richards, Terry Rozier and Bryce McGowens. But since Hayward has been ruled out for the game against the Lakers, Cody Martin could get the nod to start if Miller remains unavailable.

Here is the Hornets depth chart

Point guards	Bryce McGowens	Ish Smith
Shooting guards	Terry Rozier	Nick Smith Jr.	James Bouknight
Small forwards	Cody Martin	JT Thor
Power forwards	Miles Bridges	PJ Washington	Leaky Black
Centers	Nick Richards	Nathan Mensah

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LA Lakers starting lineup and depth chart for Dec. 28, 2023

For their game against the Celtics on Christmas Day, the Lakers went for an all-forward starting crew to better compete with Boston. Vanderbilt was inserted to the lineup in place of starting point guard D’Angelo Russell with James assuming the floor general’s role. Reddish was at the shooting guard spot, with Prince and Davis completing the frontline.

Against the Hornets, Russell should return to the starting five for Vanderbilt for a more conventional starting crew. Here is the Lakers’ depth chart:

Point guards	D'Angelo Russell
Shooting guards	Cameron Reddish	Austin Reaves
Small forwards	Taurean Prince	Max Christie
Power forwards	LeBron James	Rui Hachimura	Christian Wood
Centers	Anthony Davis	Jarred Vanderbilt	Jaxson Hayes

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Charlotte Hornets vs LA Lakers key matchups

Charlotte enters the game against Los Angeles at a disadvantage, personnel-wise, with a number of key players ruled unavailable. But the Hornets should not be counted out outright as they are a hurting team looking to turn things around. And what better way to do it than against a team like the Lakers.

Here are some of the matchups to take note of:

Terry Rozier vs D’Angelo Russell

Terry Rozier is expected to start at shooting guard but it is safe to say that through the course of the game, he would slide to do point guard duties and play against D’Angelo Russell.

‘Scary Terry’ and “DLo’ should challenge each other on the defensive end with their abilities to get buckets not only for themselves but for their teammates as well.

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Miles Bridges vs LeBron James

Miles Bridges has been leading the charge for the Hornets in the last couple of games and it is going to be interesting if he could sustain it against LeBron James.

He surely has the physique and athleticism to stand against ‘The King’ but the latter has shown that he is still a handful for anybody who dares to challenge him.

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Nick Richards vs Anthony Davis

Emerging Hornets big man Nick Richards is playing solid whether as a starter or off the bench. He will be deeply challenged if Anthony Davis is able to play for the Lakers.

‘AD’ has been solid for Los Angeles in their last five games, going for 29.6 points and 12 boards. These numbers could continue if Richards and the other Hornets big men fail to deliver from their end.