Los Angeles Lakers Second-Half Push Breaks Charlotte Hornets, 120-101

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated Charlotte Hornets at their Staples Center, 120-101. It appears that LeBron James’ demands for bringing Anthony Davis were reasonable, and King James’ request was justified tonight.

The No.23 in purple and gold scored his first points 100 seconds before the end of the first halftime and didn’t start the game well when looking at his productivity. But he had Anthony Davis, who delivered 25 of his 27 points in the first two quarters. AD was keeping the Lakers and the atmosphere hot inside the Staples Center.

LBJ stepped in after the break, and he had help from one familiar face here in LA. Dwight Howard played an excellent role, and just took off where the Eyebrow stopped. In 23 minutes on the floor, he didn’t miss one of his 8 shots, posting a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards, also having 4 rejections. For a reserve center, you can’t ask for more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pwY1hsKVpk

“He was off the charts,” said Lakers head coach Frank Vogel about Davis performance. “Obviously, 8 of 8, and scoring the way we want him to score by crashing and rolling to the basket.”

Vogel was particularly pleased with the way Howard took matters into his own hands on the defensive side of the ball.

“Defensively, was where I felt like he was dominant. He had four blocks; he changed several other shots, got every rebound in his area. His 16-10 and 4 blocks, one hell of a night.”

The guests from North Carolina opened the game smoothly, as they had a 17-8 advantage midway through the opening period. But that changed in the second sequence when the Lakers reached a 39-32 advantage and were playing much better.

Still, the scoreboard at the halftime showed 63-62 for the home team, with the guests not backing down on the court. The purple and gold were steady in the third, slowly grinding their way towards a bigger lead. In the final moments of that period and the opening of the fourth, Vogel’s guys created a 12-2 series, which finally pulled them away from the Hornets.

Later on, LeBron reached his pace, and there was no way back for the Hornets. In no time, the hosts went to 101-84, and that is when everybody realized that the game was over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngGytAl8Z7M

LBJ had 20 points with 12 assists and 6 rebounds in 35 minutes. AD finished the night with 29 buckets, 14 boards, 3 blocks, and 10 for 19 from the field. Davis made three three-pointers in five attempts. Quinn Cook delivered 12 points with 8 assists, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 10.

On the other side, the Miles Bridges had 23 points, with 6 boards. Cody Zeller and Terry Rozier added 19 a pice, with the note that Zeller had 14 boards, seven of them offensive. Rozier, the former Boston Celtics, added 6 rebounds and 4 dimes. Dwayne Bacon contributed with 15 points.

The main problem for the Hornets was the fact that they couldn’t defend the paint. Lakers had 74 points under the rim, while Charlotte scored only 44. Also, their shooting percentage was too low – 38.5%, while the other hand, James Borrego’s guys, allowed 52.7% for their rivals. You can’t defeat the Lakers on their own court by doing something like that. The LAL had 30 assists, compared to just 11 of the visitors.

Up next, the Lakers are hosting the Memphis Grizzlies this Tuesday, before starting a three-game road trip. On the other side, Charlotte will spend one more day in Los Angeles as they face the Clippers already on Monday night.