Watch: Michael Jordan walks off as Charlotte Hornets almost blow a lead against LA Lakers with 16.8 seconds left

Michael Jordan was clearly annoyed with how the Charlotte Hornets played against the LA Lakers on national TV. [Photo: The Washington Post]

Michael Jordan’s legendary competitive fire continues to burn even as he watches from the sidelines as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets.

His team hosted the heavily-undermanned LA Lakers, who were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis due to their respective injuries, last night (28 January). The Hornets were seemingly cruising to a win before things got very interesting down the stretch.

The Buzz City team were comfortably leading by as many as 20 points before the LA Lakers mounted a huge comeback behind Russell Westbrook. Charlotte led by six points with under a minute left in the game when the Lakers rattled off five straight points. The flurry of baskets cut the lead to a single point with 16.8 seconds left in the game.

Out of sheer frustration and inability to directly affect the game, Michael Jordan almost walked out of his cozy suite. You can watch his reaction here:

“Michael Jordan needs to walk off what he’s seeing down the stretch from his Hornets.” 😅 https://t.co/HExMCOubzr

Likely simmering with anger, Michael Jordan had to stand and leave his seat. He was probably just trying to calm himself down after witnessing the Hornets’ epic meltdown.

Following a time out, Charlotte was able to successfully inbound the ball and get LaMelo Ball to the free-throw line. The young point guard missed the second attempt, which gave the Lakers one final chance to either tie or win the game.

Michael Jordan likely got back in his seat to watch the last play of the game. Russell Westbrook, who scored 12 of his game-high 35 points in the last three minutes of the game, missed a potential game-winning shot. Despite the win, the entire team likely got an earful from His Airness.

What’s next for the Charlotte Hornets?

The Charlotte Hornets defense has to dramatically improve if they want to end their long playoff dry spell. [NBA.com]

Michael Jordan can’t possibly be happy with the way his team is playing defense. The last-gasp win against an undermanned LA Lakers team was a glaring example of how miserable defense has cost them wins this season.

The Charlotte Hornets have one of the most potent and electrifying offenses in the NBA right now. Led by LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr., they have been toasting opponents with a ton of points. The defense, however, badly needs to improve for them to get back into the postseason.

PHEW. 😅 That's a W!

#AllFly | @NewAmsterdam https://t.co/SLYBcnXGe5

Charlotte is currently seventh in the East with a 28-22 record. With the way they are playing, they are likely going to battle in the play-in tournament. The Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks are possible opponents in the unique elimination round before the playoffs.

These teams are no pushovers, so their defense has to stand up to the test for the Hornets to end their long playoff drought.