The Charlotte Hornets are making their third trip to the Los Angeles area when they face the Clippers on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.
The Hornets were already in Southern California before they had two games postponed in January because of devastating wildfires in and around L.A. Charlotte already returned for a makeup game Feb. 19 when they earned a 100-97 victory over the Lakers.
That was the Hornets’ lone victory in a stretch of 13 games, but they are much improved with a 3-1 record since March 8. They enter Sunday’s game against the Clippers (37-30) off an offensive eruption – a 145-134 victory Friday at the San Antonio Spurs.
Charlotte (17-49) made a franchise-record 26 3-pointers on 46 attempts for an impressive 56.5 percent from distance. LaMelo Ball scored 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting from deep, while Miles Bridges scored 21. Josh Green went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc with 20 points.
Midway through the third quarter, Ball made three 3-pointers in a span of 40 seconds.
“It was fun to just play good basketball, get the win and stay with what we had planned the whole time,” Ball said on the FanDuel Sports Network broadcast. “…We were just trying to put a whole 48 minutes together. I still feel like there were a couple of minutes where we were lacking a little but overall, we did alright.”
The Clippers have been much improved at putting a full game together, winning five of their past six after a stretch when they went 1-6. Los Angeles has finally adjusted to playing without leading scorer Norman Powell (23.8 points), who has missed 12 of the last 13 games with multiple injuries.
After missing the first three months of the season with knee discomfort, Kawhi Leonard is rounding into form with averages of 23.3 points and 6 rebounds in his past 10 games.
In a 121-98 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Leonard shared high-scorer honors with James Harden, each tallying 25 points. Harden scored 13 in the third quarter, helping Los Angeles outscore the Hawks 35-8 in the period.
The Clippers continue to take pride in a defense that is fifth-best in the NBA with 108.7 points allowed per game.
“I think defensively we were really good, especially in half court,” Harden said. “…Offensively, we’re still improving and once we get fully healthy we can turn the corner and be something special.”
Bogdan Bogdanovic, who was acquired from the Hawks at the trade deadline, scored 12 points against his former team. The under-the-radar acquisition has helped the team overcome Powell’s absence with 12.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 15 games (four starts) with the Clippers.
Bogdanovic’s contributions include a 30-point, 10-rebound performance in a victory at Miami on Wednesday.
The Clippers earned a 112-104 victory at Charlotte on Jan. 31 and hold a 13-game winning streak over the Hornets. The last time Charlotte defeated Los Angeles was November 2017.