Lakers 98 - 108 Hornets
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  for this game

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Dec 28, 2015 - 3:59 AM No Eastern Conference team averages more 3-point attempts than the Charlotte Hornets, and that's something coach Steve Clifford would like to cut down on.

That would also be good advice for Kobe Bryant, who is the league's worst 3-point shooter as his illustrious career winds down.

The Hornets will welcome Bryant for his final visit to Charlotte on Monday night, although there's no word on whether Michael Jordan will be in the building to see the aging star.

Charlotte (16-13) is averaging 29.0 3-point attempts while shooting 35.4 percent. It's not something that Clifford is proud of since his team is second-worst in the East with an average of 37.6 points in the paint.

"The 3s are great but in our league, it goes like this and this is just factual, statistical," Clifford said. "The best thing you can do on a possession is shoot a free throw, that's by the numbers. Then the second-best thing you can do is shoot a layup. Then the third-best thing you can do is shoot a 3."

The Hornets plan to alleviate this issue several ways. It's not clear if Al Jefferson will return to the starting lineup after he saw his first action Saturday since Nov. 29.

Jefferson made 1 of 8 shots for two points in the 98-92 win over Memphis as he returned from a five-game suspension for violating the NBA's drug policy after being out with a strained left calf.

The coach also wants rookie center Frank Kaminsky, averaging 15.0 points in his last three games, to operate more down low in the future.

Charlotte is 6-3 against Western Conference foes and will be heavily favored against a Lakers team that has lost by an average of 20.4 points in a three-game slide and is 1-6 when playing the second half of a back-to-back set after Sunday's 112-96 defeat to the Grizzlies.

Bryant played only the first and third quarters and scored 19 points, making 2 of 8 3-pointers. His field-goal percentage of 34.7 and 3-point percentage of 25.6 are the NBA's worst marks.

The 37-year-old Bryant, averaging a career-high 7.2 3-point attempts for the league's fifth-highest mark, said his right knee is bothering him and almost decided against playing. He will play in Charlotte, which is notable to his legion of fans since he was drafted by the Hornets in 1996 before being traded to Los Angeles.

"Tomorrow I'll definitely be ready to go," Bryant said. "Those are cities I'm only going to go to once."

Bryant and the Lakers (5-26) will see a former teammate in Jeremy Lin, who started 30 of 74 games in his lone season with Los Angeles in 2014-15. Lin is fourth on the Hornets in scoring with 11.8 points per game for a club that averages a league-low 13.2 turnovers.

The Hornets ended a three-game slide Saturday behind Kemba Walker, who scored half of his 22 points in the fourth quarter including a personal 7-0 run that put them ahead for good.

''We needed this one pretty bad,'' said Walker, who also had eight assists. ''We just wanted to get back on track."

These teams split two meetings last season.






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