Last night, the Charlotte Hornets‘ crackdown in LA was a dramatic experience. Firstly, LaMelo Ball & Co. managed to stun a team that’s riding high on confidence after the Luka Doncic trade. Secondly, the star guard took the game away from the home team with a series of clutch plays at the end, putting LeBron James to the test. Amid this impressive stretch, the 23-year-old had a lot to say to Lakers‘ forward Rui Hachimura along with his embittered teammate, Mark Williams.

One of the major attractions of the game was that it marked the first game between the Hornets and Lakers since they rescinded the big man’s contract. So, the third-year big man, who already has an aggressive game up his sleeve, looked extra fired up. We all know what could be the reason behind the vengeful performance. While his relentless attitude remained in his performance, it broke into emotions at the end.

It’s story time!

With 37 seconds left in the game, the Lakers were 2 points behind the Hornets after leading the game for the majority of the night. Rui Hachimura had the opportunity to tie the game with two free throws in his hands. Already, the Japanese-American baller had foxed the visitors near the paint with several easy buckets. So, there’s a separate beef within the revenge story. When he was on the line, LaMelo Ball put his trash-talking to use and attempted to disrupt Rui’s focus. Guess what? It worked. The star guard said, “I told you” after the Lakers’ forward missed his first free throw and added, “I told you! Grab that sh– off the backboard,” for the second one.

Moreover, it didn’t end there. In the very next play, Ball dropped a tough toss-up. Boom! The team was up by 4, with 14 seconds remaining in the game. Williams, who witnessed it all with joy, screamed, “Hell yeah N—-! Hell yeah, N—-!” In return, the guard dapped him up and said, “This is what the f— I do, this is my sh–“. It was truly a thunderous slap to the Lakers’ unit.

Moreover, it hurt the Lakers a lot when they had the opportunity to tie the game once again. Following a 4-point lead, King James pushed the game even further, sinking a quick 3. Even then Ball responded with two clutch FTs. Now, with 6 seconds left on the clock, the Lakers needed a three to tie the game. Bron got two good looks, and he still missed it and it ended up raising questions on his ability to finish games!

Did the Lakers wake up a sleeping giant in Mark Williams?

In the last few weeks, the Lakers have managed to cause a lot of stir in the NBA world. Firstly, they forced Luka Doncic, a Slovenian who was a happy man in Texas, to get accustomed to the team’s culture. Secondly, they traded out the rookie, Dalton Knecht, for Mark Williams, only to rescind the trade within a few days. 

Leave out Doncic for once, he has a long way to go. But imagine the rush of emotions that Dalton and Williams might have gone through. The rookie slid it away and was just happy to be back.

Meanwhile, the LA side doesn’t have an inch of guilt for all the drama. Last night, LeBron James had an unusual response when asked about playing against Williams. The superstar coldly said, “He was never a teammate. He never stepped into the locker room. We’ve never seen him. I just got back to what it was before, nothing changed playing against him.”

On the other end, the 23-year-old big man still doesn’t seem to have come out of the shock. Reportedly, Williams was at an LA hotel when the team rescinded the trade within 48 hours. Speaking of it, he said, “Shocked… I was like, I don’t believe it. I was like, there’s no way, like, God.” 

There you go, a new rivalry. What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments.