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    Best Seagate external hard drives
    • February 20, 2025

    Which Seagate external hard drive is best?

    We have all heard hundreds of times how important it is to back up our data, yet the majority of us don’t do it often enough. If you have a Seagate external drive available for your computer or gaming console, the backup process is fast and easy, and you can leave your external drive plugged in for a storage boost.

    Seagate external drives are available in a range of sizes to meet different needs. In addition, they are available as HDDs or SSDs, which vary significantly in their speed and cost.

    To learn more about Seagate external drives, continue reading our buying guide. Our favorite model is the Seagate Expansion Desktop External Hard Drive, which delivers the best mix of value and performance levels.

    HDD vs. SSD

    When picking a Seagate external drive, you can choose between two popular storage technologies: HDD and SSD.

    HDD

    HDD technology, short for hard disk drive, appears in most Seagate external drives. It uses spinning platters and a read/write head to save and retrieve your data.

    HDD technology has been around for several decades. It’s a reliable technology, but if you drop the external drive, the read/write head could break, leaving your data inaccessible.

    People tend to choose an HDD when they want huge external storage drives from Seagate at a reasonable price per TB of storage.

    SSD

    SSD technology, short for solid-state drive, is a newer storage technology. It does not use moving parts to store bits of data, so if you drop an SSD, it has a better chance of remaining viable than an HDD storage unit.

    SSD is quite a bit more expensive per terabyte than HDD in storage drives from any manufacturer, including Seagate.

    Seagate sells SSD external storage drives at smaller capacities than its HDD external drives, so it may not work well for those with hundreds of huge files to store, like videos and photos. However, SSDs have faster read/write speeds than HDDs, making them popular for tasks like video editing or gaming.

    Seagate external hard drive features

    When comparing Seagate hard drives, you’ll want to focus on a few specific features.

    Size

    Those who store quite a few video files or photos will need a large-capacity Seagate external drive. You may want a drive of 2TB or larger to handle big files. Some customers may want a drive of 1TB or smaller to save some money. A terabyte is equal to roughly 1,000 gigabytes.

    Power source

    Some Seagate external drives run from the USB cable already plugged into the computer. Others require a separate power cable, which is less convenient, particularly if you have limited available ports.

    USB connection

    USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 (USB-C) deliver faster transfer speeds than USB 2.0. You may want a Seagate external drive that supports USB 3.0 or 3.1, especially if you plan to transfer large photo or video files.

    Portability

    Some external Seagate drives have a more portable design than others. These drives can be thick and bulky, which makes it tough to slip them into a backpack or briefcase. Others are thin and lightweight, which is ideal for using an external drive with a laptop or other portable device.

    Seagate external hard drive price

    When considering the price of Seagate external storage drives, compare the cost per TB of storage. HDDs will cost about $25-$35 per TB of storage. SSDs may cost up to $100-$200 per TB of storage.

    Seagate external hard drive FAQ

    Can I daisy-chain multiple Seagate external drives to each other for extra storage space?

    A. No. These drives are not made to connect to each other. They’re only made to connect to a computer — one per USB port.

    Do Seagate external hard drives fail faster than internal hard drives?

    A. No, unless unexpected factors occur, such as if you drop the drive. These external drives should last a few years, even with regular use.

    Best Seagate external hard drives

    Top Seagate external hard drive

    Seagate Expansion Desktop External Hard Drive

    Seagate Expansion Desktop External Hard Drive

    What you need to know: This is a good value for a hard drive that delivers plenty of storage space for most users.

    What you’ll love: It’s compatible with USB 3.0 ports and works with either Windows or Mac computers.

    What you should consider: It needs a separate power cord to operate rather than pulling power through the USB cable.

    Top Seagate external hard drive for the money

    Seagate Backup Plus Portable External Drive

    Seagate Backup Plus Portable External Hard Drive

    What you need to know: You won’t find a better price on a high-capacity Seagate external drive.

    What you’ll love: It ships with integrated software to simplify making backups.

    What you should consider: It has odd performance quirks with some Macintosh computers.

    Worth checking out

    Seagate Backup Plus Desktop External Drive

    Seagate Backup Plus Desktop External Hard Drive

    What you need to know: This hard drive is designed to handle huge media files with fast transfer speeds over USB 3.0.

    What you’ll love: It has a desirable amount of storage for the price you’ll pay. It’s made for those with large storage requirements.

    What you should consider: The bulky design makes carrying this drive in a bag or briefcase difficult.

    Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

    Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales.

    BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

     Orange County Register 

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    CIF-SS boys soccer playoffs: Wednesday’s scores, updated schedule for Saturday’s semifinals
    • February 20, 2025

    The Orange County scores from the CIF-SS boys soccer playoffs Wednesday, plus the schedule for the semifinals Saturday, Feb. 22.

    CIF-SS BOYS SOCCER PLAYOFFS

    OPEN DIVISION

    First leg of semifinals series, Wednesday

    JSerra 0, Santa Monica 0

    Second leg of semifinals series, Saturday

    Santa Monica at JSerra, 5:30 p.m.

    DIVISION 2

    Quarterfinals, Wednesday

    Edison 3, Canyon 2

    Semifinals, Saturday

    Harvard-Westlake at Edison, 5 p.m.

    DIVISION 3

    Quarterfinals, Wednesday

    Katella 1, Anaheim 1 (Anaheim advances on PKs)

    Montclair 5, Sunny Hills 2

    Semifinals, Saturday

    Anaheim at Montclair, 5 p.m.

    DIVISION 4

    Quarterfinals, Wednesday

    Laguna Beach 2, Long Beach Poly 1

    Santa Ana 4, Coachella Valley 0

    Semifinals, Saturday

    Santa Ana at Laguna Beach, 5 p.m.

    DIVISION 5

    Quarterfinals, Wednesday

    Norwalk 3, Los Amigos 3 (Los Amigos advances on PKs)

    Northwood 3, Godinez 1

    Semifinals, Saturday

    Los Amigos at Dominguez, 5 p.m.

    Northwood at Desert Mirage, 5 p.m.

    DIVISION 6

    Quarterfinals, Wednesday

    St. Margaret’s 1, Lawndale 0

    Hillcrest 5, Cypress 3

    Semifinals, Saturday

    St. Margaret’s at Pioneer

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    LA wildfires intensify political jousting over home insurance premiums
    • February 20, 2025

    The timing could not have been better — or worse.

    The horrendously destructive and deadly Los Angeles wildfires erupted in January just as Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s historic and very controversial overhaul of how insurers calculate premiums was taking effect.

    On one hand, the disaster drove home the insurance industry’s contention that California’s propensity for such catastrophes creates immense potential losses that cannot be profitably insured without changes in the rate-making system.

    However as fire victims inundated insurers with claims, Lara faced pressure to crack down on companies that minimized or delayed settlement payments. Meanwhile, his critics accuse him of being too cozy with the industry he regulates, as a Los Angeles Times article detailed this week.

    It is, to put it mildly, a yeasty situation.

    Lara, a former state legislator who was elected as insurance commissioner in 2018, began drafting his new regulatory plan in response to decisions by major insurers to cut back on policies in California — or even leave the state altogether — because of seemingly endless waves of destructive wildfires.

    They contended that California’s long-standing system for calculating premiums, basing them on past experiences, was inadequate. They wanted to include estimates of future exposure, and the costs of obtaining reinsurance to ease their losses, in the process.

    Lara incorporated those changes in his plan, but only if insurers were more willing to write policies in fire-prone regions.

    “Giving people more choices to protect themselves is how we will solve California’s insurance crisis,” Lara said as he released details of the plan. “For the first time in history we are requiring insurance companies to expand where people need help the most. With our changing climate we can no longer look to the past. We are being innovative and forward-looking to protect Californians’ access to insurance.”

    It drew sharp criticism from Consumer Watchdog, the Southern California organization that wrote the 1988 ballot measure making the insurance commissioner’s position elective and increasing regulatory powers. The group had been sniping at Lara ever since his election, accusing him of taking campaign money from insurers and not aggressively overseeing their operations.

    The group had benefited handsomely from “intervenor fees” in rate-making cases awarded by previous commissioners. Lara has been less generous, although the organization got $643,530 in 2024, 100% of the year’s awards.

    The Los Angeles fires have forced Lara to juggle his long-term efforts to stabilize the insurance market with immediate responses to issues arising from the disaster.

    Lara authorized insurers to impose assessments on their policyholders to shore up the shaky finances of California’s FAIR plan, a last-ditch system that covers property owners unable to get coverage from the regular market that has seen a huge increase in applications.

    However, he refused to immediately approve a request by State Farm, California’s largest insurer, for a 22% emergency rate hike, saying the company had to prove a need.

    If nothing else, the Los Angeles fires underscored the absolutely vital role of a healthy insurance market — not only in protecting the investments that Californians have in their homes and businesses, but as a key component in buying and selling of real estate. Lenders simply will not issue mortgages for property that is uninsured.

    The insurance commissioner must, of course, protect the interests of consumers, but one of those interests is a healthy insurance market, and a parallel duty is making insurance profitable enough to keep insurers willing to do business in California.

    Whether Lara’s rate-making overhaul will fulfill both of those imperatives remains uncertain. He at least deserves credit for trying to fix a dysfunctional system after the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom bowed out and gave him the task.

    Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    JuJu Watkins, No. 4 USC women hold off No. 22 Michigan State
    • February 20, 2025

    LOS ANGELES — There weren’t any double-digit deficits to worry about or big fourth-quarter comebacks needed. This was just another defeat of a nationally ranked team to add to USC’s accomplishments this season.

    But that’s not to say there weren’t moments of anxiety for the fourth-ranked USC women’s basketball team on Wednesday night in dispatching No. 22 Michigan State, 83-75, at the Galen Center.

    The Trojans (24-2 overall, 14-1 Big Ten) held off a fourth-quarter push from the Spartans (19-7, 9-6) to extend their winning streak to five games.

    It was this kind of lower-level stress test USC needed after back-to-back emotional contests against crosstown rival and then-top-ranked UCLA and Washington.

    USC next faces No. 25 Illinois on Sunday, its eighth ranked opponent this season. The Trojans are 6-1 in those games, having lost to then-No. 20 Mississippi in November.

    “This was a great game. Michigan State is really good,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “I think (MSU coach) Robyn (Fralick) has done a phenomenal job, especially coming off a tough loss at UCLA to come in here with the energy that they did.”

    While complimentary to her opponent, Gottlieb was even more impressed by the tandem of USC’s all-everything guard JuJu Watkins and impressive forward Kiki Iriafen, who combined for 52 points.

    “Kiki and JuJu are the best duo in the country, and they played like it tonight,” Gottlieb said.

    There was a hold-your-breath moment late in the second quarter when Watkins went down after colliding with a Michigan State player while going up for a layup. Watkins remained down on the court for several seconds before heading to the locker room while holding her neck.

    She emerged a short time later and continued her assault on the Spartans, showing no effects of her fall. She finished with 28 points on 10-of-23 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots.

    The hit and fall she took was so inconsequential to Watkins, she had difficulty remembering it after the game.

    “Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. My neck, I got my neck tied up a little bit, but I was fine,” she said. “I was in a little bit of shock.”

    Gottlieb said she needed a moment after she saw her star laying near the free-throw line with 3:30 left before halftime.

    “She’s obviously really tough, she wants to play through anything,” Gottlieb said. “But whenever she came back and said, I’m good to go, that was that.”

    Iriafen added 24 points, 15 in the second half. She shot 7 for 13 from the field and 10 for 12 from the free-throw line to go along with 10 rebounds, a stat line that can make teammates drool.

    “Who wouldn’t want to play with Kiki?” Watkins asked. “I mean she can create her own shots. All you gotta do is just really get her the ball on the post. So, it makes my life and everybody’s life a lot easier, and she motivates the whole team.”

    Trojans center Rayah Marshall added eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

    Michigan State’s Grace VanSlooten tied a career high with 29 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Julia Ayrault added 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Michigan State, but the Spartans shot just 1 for 13 from 3-point range as a team (compared to USC’s 5-of-15 showing).

    The Trojans extended their 10-point halftime lead to 21 points late in the third quarter.

    The Spartans, however, capitalized on a series of turnovers and missed shots by USC to make a run in the fourth. Michigan State’s Theryn Hallock scored a layup off one of those turnovers to trim the margin to 72-62 with 6:02 left.

    MSU got within 74-68 when a VanSlooten layup capped a 15-4 run with 4:01 left, but a Kennedy Smith jumper followed by a Watkins fast-break layup with 2:51 left helped the Trojans re-establish a double-digit cushion and they closed it out from there.

    “We crawled back in the fourth quarter and gave ourselves a chance,” Fralick said. “But USC is a great team. They have size and a lot of talent.”

    With the win, the Trojans officially clinched a double-bye into next month’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. They remain in first place in the conference with two regular-season games remaining.

    “We can control our own destiny the last two games, but I also think it’s really a testament to our players,” Gottlieb said. “I think conference play is the best test of the consistency of excellence. You got to win when you don’t have it. Some nights you got to win when you’re on the road. When someone’s in a slump, you got to win when officiating goes a certain way. And so, to get this far with two games to go to have earned a top-four seed is something that I’m proud of ’em for.”

    The game slowed in the second quarter as the Spartans stepped up their defensive attack and limited the Trojans to 17 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Still, USC led 41-31 at the half as the Trojans did most of their first half scoring in the opening quarter.

    The Trojans led 24-16 after one quarter.

    Watkins scored 10 of her 17 first-half points in the first quarter, sending her on the way to her 26th double-double of the season.

    The game was yet another celebration for one of the most celebrated women’s college players in the country. On Tuesday, the sophomore guard was named one of 39 semifinalists for the Sullivan Award, which honors athletic excellence, leadership, citizenship and sportsmanship.

    Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers is the only other women’s college basketball player on the list, which includes Olympians and other elite amateurs.

    Watkins had already been named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Watch List as well as the Wooden Award Watch List.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Lakers looking to develop ‘ideal rotation’ as group rounds into form
    • February 20, 2025

    LOS ANGELES — The NBA’s All-Star break, and the rest that came along with it, provided the Lakers with something heading into Wednesday that they haven’t had for most of the season: an opportunity to have a rotation with nearly their full roster available.

    With LeBron James upgraded from questionable to available for Wednesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers had every player other than Maxi Kleber available.

    Coach JJ Redick used a 10-man rotation against the Hornets, with Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt and Alex Len playing as reserves behind the starting lineup of James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes.

    “We’re still trying to develop the ideal rotation,” Redick said before the game. “But again, as we’ve said all year, the ideal rotation may change night to night, depending on the opponent. So a lot of guys will get their shot.”

    Those rotations will continue to feature small-ball lineups without a true center on the floor.

    “You have to build up the familiarity with that group,” Redick said. “And in particular now, when [Anthony Davis] was out for that stretch of games, Max [Christie] was part of that, now Luka will be part of that.

    “And that doesn’t mean you introduce that with 25 minutes a night. We’re gonna give that some looks like we have been. And we’ll continue to just … tweaking things around the edges when we’re healthy, I think is a healthy thing to do in preparation for hopefully a playoff run.”

    Wednesday was just the third game with Doncic on the lineup, and his first since his minutes restriction was eased, after he played in a Feb. 10 home win against Utah and the Feb. 12 road loss to the Jazz before the All-Star break.

    It was also the second game with Knecht back in the fold after the trade that involved him going to the Hornets was rescinded.

    “We’re obviously a little bit of a work in progress going forward just because we have had a number of additions and a re-addition or two re-additions,” Redick said. “So just trying to figure out what this new group is. I don’t think our standards change. I don’t think our way of going about what we’re trying to do changes.”

    WELCOME BACK

    Wednesday was the first matchup between the Lakers and Hornets since the trade that would have sent Charlotte center Mark Williams to L.A. and Knecht, Cam Reddish and the Lakers’ 2031 first-round draft pick and a 2030 pick swap to Charlotte was rescinded because Williams didn’t pass the Lakers’ physical exam.

    Redick didn’t comment on Williams, but Hornets coach Charles Lee spoke about the brief period of time he was able to spend with Knecht.

    “Dalton, he’s a hooper,” Lee said. “He loves the game. He came in and immediately wanted to get to work. So I think that the Lakers are getting a guy that just loves the game and wants to keep getting better and then obviously adds an element of shooting to the court.

    “Having Mark back, I feel like it’s gonna be seamless. He’s been a part of everything we’ve been doing since Day One, since I’ve been hired. He’s built great relationships with the players on and off the court and so having him back in the mix like we’ve seen what he can do in a game and how he can positively affect the game for the team for himself and for his teammates and so we’re looking forward to having him back.”

    Wednesday was Williams’ first game with the Hornets since the trade was called off.

    “He always has juice and so I think that being here is maybe a little bit of added fuel for him,” Lee said. “But the thing that I’ve noticed about him since getting to know him is that every opportunity that he has in front of him he’s just looking forward to getting better and so I know he’s gonna come out and play hard no matter what.”

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Edison boys soccer tops Canyon in quarterfinals with three goals, several big saves
    • February 20, 2025

    ORANGE — The Edison boys soccer team didn’t score the first goal in its CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal match against Canyon on Wednesday.

    However, the Chargers did score the next three and wound up hanging on for a 3-2 victory over the Comanches.

    Edison (15-4-1) advances to the semifinal round for the first time since 2019 and will play host to Harvard-Westlake on Saturday.

    The Wolverines defeated Palmdale, 2-0, in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

    After taking a 3-1 lead in the 67th minute on a goal from Oliver Worster, the Chargers appeared to be headed toward an easy victory.

    But Worster’s goal wound up being huge, after Canyon’s Blake Hartfelder scored off a corner kick in the 77th minute to get the Comanches within a goal.

    Then in the final minute of the match, the Comanches (13-7-3) had a throw-in about 15 yards from the net, setting up a good look and a final shot for Canyon.

    Edison goalkeeper Andrew Mosham, who had made several fine stops during the match, made one final save before the game ended one minute later.

    Mosham made a great save about five minutes earlier when the senior had to dive to his left to stop a bullet of a shot from Canyon’s Landon Sohegian.

    “It’s surreal,” Mosham said.  “We had a little bit of a slow start to begin with, by letting them score first.  And then it’s just that our team has so much heart. We were so determined. We got one, we got a second. Once we got that second, we started going hard.”

    Luke Ward scored 12 minutes into the match to give the Comanches the early lead.

    Edison tied the score seven minutes later when Dylan Petruolo took a free kick 40 yards from the goal. He sent a perfect ball to Micah Novak who was positioned to the left of the goal and scored on a header without the ball touching the ground.

    Two minutes later, Novak executed a perfect cross pass to Ben Hickman, who knocked in the Chargers’ second goal.

    “We got that first goal and there was some hope,” Novak said. “The second was the best feeling. It was getting close to halftime. We got the third and we felt like we won it.”

    Then it became a matter of having to hang on for the Chargers after Hartfelder scored Canyon’s second goal.

    “It’s a classic CIF (playoff) match,” Edison coach Charlie Breneman said. “It’s never fully under control. We thought maybe those last couple of minutes, the game was kind of done. It wasn’t done. They’re good at corner kicks. That’s the way they were going to score on us. Our keeper kept us in it and had two or three really big saves for us.”

     Orange County Register 

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    Portola girls basketball goes the distance to beat Buena Park in 2AA quarterfinals
    • February 20, 2025

    BUENA PARK – Portola girls basketball coach Brian Barham was asked before his team played Buena Park on Wednesday what the Bulldogs would need to do to win.

    “We might lose the first six rounds,” he said. “But we’re going to win the final six rounds.”

    Portola fell behind by double digits early, had a great second quarter to take the lead and traded punches with Buena Park in the second half to beat the Coyotes 66-62 in a CIF-SS Division 2AA quarterfinal playoff game at Buena Park High.

    The Bulldogs (17-14) will play at Oak Park (19-3) in the semifinals Saturday. It will be the first CIF-SS semifinal for Portola’s girls basketball program; the school opened in 2016.

    By reaching the CIF-SS semifinals Portola qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs that begin March 4.

    Portola freshman reserve guard Yuri Ha scored a team-high 16 points including four 3-pointers.

    “The freshman earned her stripes tonight,” Barham said. “Every player has that game where they announce themselves to the Orange County basketball community and tonight was her night.”

    Kara Niho and Madison Nguyen scored 11 points each for the Bulldogs.

    Nguyen was 5 for 6 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. She made two free throws with three seconds remaining to complete the four-point margin.

    “That was a great moment for that kid,” Barham said. “I’m glad the basketball gods gave it to her.”

    Buena Park senior Gloria Barrera went into this week averaging 30 points and that’s how many she scored Wednesday. She also had nine rebounds.

    Coyotes senior Mya Barnes scored 14 points with eight rebounds.

    Now, about that 12 rounds of boxing metaphor …

    “Rumble in the Jungle,” Barham said, referring to the classic 1974 heavyweight championship fight in which Muhammad Ali voluntarily leaned back on the ropes to take a beating from George Foreman for the first few rounds until Ali suddenly turned on his energy in the eighth round to knock out Foreman.

    “I show our kids the video of that fight every year,” Barham said. “Every year. George Foreman. ‘Rope-a-dope.’”

    Buena Park surged to an 18-8 lead in the first quarter in which Barrera, with her large arsenal of moves, scored 13 points. Portola climbed back into the game with a late run in the quarter. Buena Park took a 20-16 lead into the second quarter.

    Ha’s first 3-pointer put Portola ahead for the first time 26-25. Nina Saiki’s 3-pointer in the quarter gave the Bulldogs a 32-27 lead to complete a 24-9 run. Portola had a 37-33 advantage at halftime and a 49-45 lead at the end of the third quarter.

    Buena Park’s Ava Wiley made a 3 to open the fourth quarter to make it a one-point game, 49-48. Barrera scored seven points in the fourth quarter to lead the Coyotes, but Portola kept hitting its shots, too. Ha made another 3 pointer, Bianca Morrell and Amelia Booth made clutch baskets, Saiki made four three throws and Nguyen made her five in the final moments to get Portola the win.

    Portola was the quicker of the two teams, and had an abundance of energy in the fourth quarter.

    “We’re not going to start strong all the time,” Nguyen said. “We’re smaller and play more of a 3-point game. But we knew once we got it going we were going to start winning from there.”

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Lakers return from All-Star break with frustrating loss to Hornets
    • February 20, 2025

    LOS ANGELES — If the Lakers looked like a team ready for the All-Star break in their Feb. 12 road loss to the Utah Jazz, then Wednesday’s 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena showed what can happen when a team is away from the court for an extended period.

    Because from the onset, the Lakers and Hornets played with a sloppiness of teams that looked like they hadn’t played in a week.

    The teams combined for 37 turnovers (18 for the Lakers) and shot a combined 38.6% from the field (70 for 181).

    But it was the Eastern Conference’s 14th-place Hornets (14-39) who made the plays when it mattered the most, outscoring the hosts 63-49 in the second half to hand the Lakers (32-21) their second consecutive loss. The Lakers, already facing one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NBA, bookended their All-Star break with defeats against two of the league’s worst teams.

    LeBron James led the Lakers with 26 points (16 in the fourth quarter), 11 assists, seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots, but he missed a pair of late 3-point attempts that would have tied the game and sent it into overtime.

    Rui Hachimura added 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists, but missed a pair of late free throws. Dorian Finney-Smith (12 points, five rebounds, three assists) also scored in double figures.

    Luka Doncic, playing in his third game with the Lakers, finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, but struggled with his shot (5 for 18 from the field, 1 for 9 from 3-point range) and taking care of the ball (six turnovers – five in the first quarter).

    The Hornets outscored the Lakers 43-32 after Austin Reaves was assessed a pair of technical fouls and ejected from the game after a brief exchange of words with referee Rodney Mott late in the third quarter. The Lakers led 65-57 at the time of Reaves’ ejection, but Charlotte went on an 18-1 run immediately after Reaves was ejected, putting the Hornets ahead 75-66 early in the fourth after the Lakers led by as much as 13 in the third. The Lakers missed 10 straight shots during a 6:39 span.

    Doncic made a putback that put the Lakers back ahead 94-93 with 1:03 left, but the Hornets regained the lead at 96-94 on a corner 3-pointer from Nick Smith Jr. with 48 seconds remaining.

    Hachimura drew a shooting foul on the Lakers’ ensuing possession but missed both free throws.

    LaMelo Ball made a contested finger-roll layup over Jarred Vanderbilt to put the Hornets ahead 98-94 with 14.2 seconds left.

    James made a 3-pointer out of a broken play to bring the Lakers within one 98-97 with 6.8 seconds left.

    The Lakers intentionally fouled Ball on the Hornets’ ensuing possession, with Ball making both free throws to put the Hornets up 100-97 with 6.3 seconds left before James missed a pair of 3-point attempts as Charlotte won for just the second time in 11 games.

    Miles Bridges scored 29 points and Ball finished with 27 to pace Charlotte. Mark Williams had 10 points and nine rebounds in his first game since the Lakers acquired the center in a trade and then rescinded the deal.

    More to come on this story.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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