The Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

The Hornets (1-1) were expected to be the worst team in the NBA coming into the year and starting off .500 through two games is a somewhat promising sign. After pulling out a narrow win over the Chicago Bulls in the opener, Charlotte took a 22-point defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last game on Friday. That means they've allowed at least 120 points in each of the first two games and it's going to be tough for this defense to compete. There is some young talent to be encouraged by though, with P.J. Washington and DeVonte' Graham both playing superb ball over the first two fixtures. If those guys continue to play well and they continue to get contributions from guys like Miles Bridges, Cody Zeller and Terry Rozier, this team should remain somewhat competitive.

The Lakers (1-1) looked lost in an opening night defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers but maybe that was a case of facing a better team. In their last game, Los Angeles took it to a very talented Utah Jazz club in a 95-86 win on Friday. That's a great result after a terrible start and it's scary that they're playing that sort of stifling defense. While many people will talk about Anthony Davis and LeBron James, this team is full of great role players. What makes their role players especially good is their defensive skills, with Avery Bradley, Danny Green and JaVale McGee thriving on that end of the floor. If those guys can defend while James and Davis run the offense, this is going to be a scary team this season.

Despite the fact that the Lakers swept the two-game season series over the Hornets last season, Charlotte actually prevailed in six of their last seven games over Los Angeles prior to that.