The absence of all three players was a factor in the Lakers losing 131-119 to Utah on Wednesday. They hold a 32-20 record and are in fifth place in the Western Conference, and they're just half a game behind the fourth-place Houston Rockets and three games behind the second-place Memphis Grizzlies.

We went small last week on a big slate and ended up with a reverse sweep. We bounce back today with only one game: Charlotte Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers. More NBA Betting Advice Player Prop Bet Cheat Sheet First Basket Cheat Sheet NBA Consensus Odds Our PrizePicks Cheat Sheet helps bettors by comparing lines

Coming into the All-Star break, the Lakers had quite a few players who needed to get some rest in order to get healthy. While LeBron James was the only player who was at All-Star