LaMelo Ball Catches Fire, Luka Doncic and Lakers Tip Their Hats After Hornets Rout
Sometimes, there’s just not much you can do when a player gets that hot. That was the case Thursday night when LaMelo Ball torched the Los Angeles Lakers for 30 points, including a jaw-dropping nine three-pointers, in a 135-117 Hornets win. And while the loss stung, Lakers guard Luka Doncic didn’t hesitate to show respect where it was due.
“I mean, he hit some crazy shots, but that’s what he does,” Doncic said postgame. “He was shooting a lot of shots off the dribble.
We planned for that, but he hit some crazy shots. As I said, he does that, so he got really hot.”
Marcus Smart: "Some crazy shots. We all know LaMelo. He's been playing like that since he was in high school" pic.twitter.com/e1yK2jQ5LF
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 16, 2026
Ball didn’t just get hot - he erupted after halftime, drilling eight of his nine threes in the second half alone. It was the kind of shooting performance that bends a defense until it breaks, and the Lakers had no answer once Ball found his rhythm.
“He made nine threes [tonight], eight threes in the second half, so it was hard to stop him,” Doncic added, acknowledging just how tough it is to contain a player when the basket starts looking like the ocean.
But Ball wasn’t just launching threes. He filled up the stat sheet with 11 assists, six rebounds, and even a block - a complete performance that led the way for Charlotte in a game where they never took their foot off the gas.
Doncic did his part to keep the Lakers in it, pouring in a game-high 39 points on an efficient 15-of-26 shooting, including six made threes. But even that wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Hornets’ offensive barrage. LeBron James chipped in with 29 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals, but the Lakers were ultimately outgunned.
The loss marked the Lakers’ fourth in their last five games, a rough patch in the schedule that’s testing their depth and defensive consistency. Still, veteran guard Marcus Smart isn’t panicking - and like Doncic, he tipped his cap to Ball’s performance.
“Some crazy shots,” Smart said. “But that Hornets team has been doing that over the last couple of games.
We all know LaMelo. He’s been playing like that since he was in high school.
To us, it’s some crazy shots, but to him, those are his shots. You definitely tip your hat off.”
Smart, who finished with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, knows this stretch is about weathering the storm. The Lakers have the talent - but they’ll need to tighten up defensively and find answers quickly if they want to avoid sliding further in the standings.
Next up: a bounce-back opportunity against the Blazers on Saturday. But if Thursday night reminded the Lakers of anything, it’s that in today’s NBA, elite shot-making can turn a game - and LaMelo Ball brought the flamethrower.