Two days before turning forty-nine, LeBron James scored seventeen points and dished out eleven assists, Anthony Davis added twenty-six points and eight rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 133–112 on Thursday night, delivering the team their ninth consecutive defeat.

The Lakers, who won the NBA’s first-ever In-Season Tournament almost three weeks ago, triumphed for just the third time in nine games behind 17 points from Rui Hachimura and 16 from Austin Reaves. Hachimura and James, who each scored 12 points, powered Los Angeles to a scorching 41-point third quarter that saw them pull away from the struggling Hornets.

For the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell had 16 points and drained four 3-pointers, including his 1,300th of the year. Los Angeles jumped out to a 28-point lead early in the fourth quarter, allowing coach Darvin Ham to rest James and Davis for the entirety of the game after leading by a point at the half.

Despite being the oldest player in the NBA, James is still going strong in his 21st season. He spearheaded the game-winning third-quarter comeback and made two 3-pointers despite playing quarterback for extended periods of time.

The Hornets, who have not won a game since late 2014, are experiencing their longest losing streak since Terry Rozier had 18 points and Miles Bridges scored 20. After hanging with the Lakers for the majority of the first half, Charlotte dropped its opening game of a six-game trip to Los Angeles, its second consecutive loss in the shared downtown facility.

LaMelo Ball, a resident of the Los Angeles region, missed his 14th consecutive game for the Hornets due to a sprained left ankle.

After Cam Reddish, who was sidelined due to a groyne injury, returned to the Lakers starting lineup, Hachimura got off to a sluggish start from the field. However, he led the way alongside James and Davis as the Lakers scored their first double-digit lead of the game in the second half, making 10 of their first 12 attempts.

In 32 games this season, Los Angeles used its ninth starting lineup configuration. Although James and Davis have missed just five games combined this season, the Lakers were forced to deploy 39 starting combinations in the previous campaign.

The Lakers don’t usually blow out opponents, but in the fourth quarter, they were able to use a large portion of their bench. In the closing minutes, youngster Jalen Hood-Schifino made his first field goal of December, while Christian Wood scored nine points in his first meaningful playing time in almost two weeks.