Stephen Curry appears interested in joining the Hornets originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Charlotte Hornets have turned heads around the league recently. They began to gain recognition after defeating the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on the road by 27 points.

Despite hurdles, the Hornets, led by LaMelo Ball, clinched key victories, notably defeating the Lakers. James Young joins to recap their surprising victory.

LaMelo Ball scored 27 of his 30 points in the second half while tying his career high with nine 3-pointers, and the Charlotte Hornets overcame Luka Doncic’s 39 points for a 135-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic credited the Charlotte Hornets for their win but believes the team told on themselves with their effort.

If you take a look at the NBA standings, you'll see that the Charlotte Hornets are once again floundering at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. A .500 record

The Los Angeles Lakers were supposed to beat the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night. Charlotte entered the game with just 14 wins on the season, yet, they looked like the superior team, defeating Los Angeles 135-117.

Luka Doncic scores 39 points and LeBron James finishes with 29, but it's not enough to counter a more consistent Charlotte scoring effort in a 135-117 loss.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/hornets/onsi as A quiet trade deadline move that could make sense for the Charlotte Hornets .

LOS ANGELES -- The Charlotte Hornets beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 135-117, at Crypto.com Arena on January 12, 2026 and The Sporting Tribune's Jordan Teller was there to capture the following TST Images.