LaMelo Ball entered Monday night as the NBA’s fourth-highest scorer and leads the league in fourth-quarter points, field goals and made 3-pointers.

Anthony Davis had 42 points and 23 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers used a huge first quarter from the All-Star center to build a 23-point lead before beating the Charlotte Hornets 112-107 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.

The Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers will meet for the first time this season tonight at Spectrum Center. A few moments ago, both teams revealed their starting lineups for tonight's game. G LaMelo Ball G Nick Smith Jr.

Following a rough 104-83 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the Charlotte Hornets announced LaMelo Ball will be re-evaluated in a week after spraining his ankle in Monday’s defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers. The star guard had an MRI that confirmed the severity and original diagnosis.

SportsLine's model has simulated the Charlotte Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers matchup 10,000 times and revealed its NBA picks for Monday

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball left the game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second quarter with a left ankle injury. He will not return.

The Hornets have also had some trouble defending inside the arc, where they allow opponents to shoot the ninth-highest 2-point percentage in the league (55.4%) and are prone to putting opponents on the line — allowing the 10th-most free throws per game (17.7).

Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers defends a shot by Miles Bridges #0 of the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of an NBA game at Spectrum Center on Feb. 5, 2024. Photo: David Jensen/Getty Images

The reigning rookie of the year is an NBA All-Star for the first time, with the 21-year-old from France one of the 14 players announced Thursday night as members of the reserve pool for the midseason exhibition that will take place Feb. 16 at the home of the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.

The latest misfortune in the Mavericks' injury-riddled season occurred Thursday night when the All-Star reserves were announced by TNT. Kyrie Irving, who had the best chance of qualifying for the Western Conference team, was not selected as part of the 14 reserves.

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