The Los Angeles Lakers will be shorthanded yet again on Monday when they take on the Charlotte Hornets. Anthony Davis is still out indefinitely for LA with a foot injury and currently has no timetable to return. Joining him on the sidelines for the Hornets matchup is Lonnie Walker IV, who has already been tagged as out with a tailbone contusion.

Walker sat out Friday's win against the Atlanta Hawks, and Monday night will mark his second consecutive missed game due to the tailbone injury. Austin Reaves will likely get the start again in Walker's absence, and the 24-year-old will be looking to bounce back from Friday's atrocious 1-of-13 shooting performance. Troy Brown Jr. is also expected to get a heavier workload with Walker sitting out.

Charlotte, on the other hand, has received a significant boost on the Dennis Smith Jr. front. The 6-foot-2 point guard has missed the last six weeks with an ankle injury, but it has been confirmed that Smith is now set to make his return to action against the Lakers. Smith had a handful of eye-popping performances for the Hornets early in the season as he deputized for LaMelo Ball, and he will now be expected to provide some quality minutes off the bench behind Charlotte's superstar point guard.

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