Lakers Continue Hot Stretch Against the Hornets
When the NBA season schedule was released, today's matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets was supposed to be the second and final meeting between the two teams. Due to the wildfires in Los Angeles, the Hornets’ visit to Crypto.com Arena was postponed to February 19th. So, the first meeting between the Lakers and Hornets took place in Charlotte amid the Lakers Grammy road trip. In game one of the two-game season series, the Lakers were able to hang on for a 112-107 victory.
The scoreboard ended much closer than what the game indicated. Anthony Davis in the first quarter had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks. The Lakers got off to a very fast start, opening the game on a 26-5 run and finishing the first quarter up 39-19. A hot start from the Lakers equated to them shooting over 72% from the field in the first.
A Hornets comeback looked unlikely due to their offensive struggles and poor defense. Hopes looked even worse when LaMelo Ball went down and did not return to the contest after spraining his ankle early in the second quarter. Miles Bridges and Josh Okogie were able to right the ship for the Hornets in the second half. With just over 10 minutes to go in the fourth, the Hornets found themselves down only two points. Bridges finished the game with 26 points, while Okogie off the bench had a big 19 points and a plus/minus of plus eight.
Without Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent, Davis would finish with an absurd 42 points and 23 rebounds. LeBron James added 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The Lakers greatly benefited from the return of Jarred Vanderbilt. The energy he brought was felt, especially on the defensive end. Vanderbilt came up with big steals, one ending up with a fast-break slam dunk to extend the Lakers’ lead in the fourth quarter.
Is Vanderbilt’s return the Lakers’ big trade deadline splash? All of a sudden, the Lakers have won four in a row and six of their last seven games. They are 26-18, a season-high eight games over the .500 mark. With how well the unit has been playing lately, Rob Pelinka might be inclined to hold onto his assets rather than trading them away. The Lakers look to continue their hot streak tomorrow when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid and Paul George have already been ruled out for the contest. Tip-off is at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
