Los Angeles @ Charlotte preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 28, 2017 ) Charlotte 109, L.A. Lakers 104

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a five-game losing streak in dramatic fashion to open their road trip, and they hope to build off that victory when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Brandon Ingram capped a 21-point effort with the decisive 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left to give the Lakers a 107-104 win in Philadelphia on Thursday.

"He's really taken some nice steps forward the last week or two as far as just his overall presence and his overall leadership on the practice court, the game court," coach Luke Walton told reporters of Ingram, who is averaging 19.3 points over a 10-game stretch. All five starters and two reserves scored in double figures for Los Angeles, which is nearly halfway through a 10-game stretch in which it plays both Golden State and Houston twice, Cleveland once and six opponents on the road. Charlotte may offer a soft landing during the difficult portion of the schedule, as the Hornets have lost six of seven and will have had little rest from an overtime loss to the NBA-worst Chicago Bulls on Friday night. Dwight Howard had 25 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks in the loss as Charlotte fell to 8-5 at home.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles), FSN Southeast Charlotte

ABOUT THE LAKERS (9-15): Rookie Lonzo Ball had 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists - including one on the game-winner by Ingram - to go along with four blocks and three steals in a stat sheet-stuffing effort Thursday. The target of fans in opposing arenas, Ball seems to enjoy having a target on his back and is averaging 10.5 points and 7.3 assists while shooting 37.1 percent on the road, compared to 7.2 points, 6.8 assists and a woeful 27.2 percent mark at home. "Right when they called my name, they were ready to go," he told the media when discussing the fans in Philadelphia. "They were going after us. It's always fun playing like that though."

ABOUT THE HORNETS (9-15): Kemba Walker scored 20 points in the loss to Chicago and he is averaging 24.3 points in three games since returning from a shoulder injury, but he's shooting 37.7 percent in that span. Howard notched his first double-double in four December games after finishing November with six straight in that category and Charlotte may continue to lean on their big man with injuries surrounding his support team. Reserve 7-footers Frank Kaminsky (ankle) and Cody Zeller (knee) both sat Friday and Zeller is out indefinitely due to a torn meniscus.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Hornets PG Michael Carter-Williams is 4-for-19 from the floor over a three-game stretch and is shooting 25 percent in 12 games this season.

2. Lakers rookie F Kyle Kuzma is averaging 13.5 points on 44.3 percent on the road and 18.6 and 52.8 percent at home.

3. Charlotte has won five straight meetings.

PREDICTION: Lakers 105, Hornets 103