The Charlotte Hornets won a nail biter against the Los Angeles Lakers, 117-114, who were without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Friday. James missed his second straight game with left knee soreness and Davis did not play due to right wrist soreness.
The Hornets got off to a fast start, scoring the first nine points of the game, forcing Lakers coach Frank Vogel to call a timeout, just three minutes into the contest. The Hornets kept up their momentum on the offensive end, while playing stifling defense against a limited Lakers lineup. The Hornets started to allow the Lakers to get some easy baskets at the rim when their second unit came into the game. The Hornets led by as many as 15 points, but that lead was sliced to ten by the end of the period, 31-21.
The Lakers went on a 7-0 run to start the second quarter, causing Hornets coach James Borrego to call a timeout to reorganize the team. The Hornets were only able to muster one defensive stop through the first four and a half minutes of the quarter, as the Lakers reserves kept the game close, led by Carmelo Anthony.
Hornets Ish Smith gave them an unexpected lift off the bench, scoring 10 points in the first half of the period. The Lakers trimmed the lead down to a single field goal, but when they put their starters back in, the Hornets lead grew.
Miles Bridges made his way to the basket for a couple of impressive finishes. A high energy close to the quarter helped the Hornets regain a huge 16 point advantage. At the half, Charlotte led 65-49.
Bridges opened up the scoring starting the second half with a shot from downtown, that was followed up with a LaMelo Ball three-pointer a short time later. The lead expanded to as large as 20, but the Lakers got hot from beyond the arc to fight their way back.
The Hornets offense went stale and the defense was not much better. They let Russell Westbrook get anywhere he wanted to go on the court, scoring 14 points in the third. The Lakers outscored the Hornets 28-9 in a seven minute span. They squared the game late in the frame and they also had a couple of opportunities to take the lead, but the Hornets were able to hold them off, going into the final quarter, 87-85.
Smith hit a three-pointer from the corner early on in the fourth, his seventh make of the evening in as many attempts. He made his second straight three a few possessions later. The Hornets started to impose their will on the defensive end, forcing some Laker misses, which allowed them to get in transition. They were able to push the lead back up to double digits, with a fast break layup from Cody Martin.
Los Angeles took a timeout to stop the bleeding and unfortunately for the Hornets, it worked. Charlotte played cavalier defense, as the Lakers made their comeback. A Terry Rozier three-point bomb and a Bridges three point play looked to put the game away, but Westbrook was not going away that easily. He drove to the basket for two layups and knocked down two long balls on four straight possessions to keep it a one score game, with under a minute left in regulation. Smith answered Westbrook with two baskets of his own.
Ball found himself on the charity strike at crunch-time, with a one point lead. He calmly splashed the first, but could not convert on the backend of the free throws and the Lakers secured the board. Westbrook attempted to hit the game winning shot from three-point range, but Bridges contested the shot beautifully and the ball bounced off the rim. PJ Washington secured the rebound. He added a free throw with 0.2 seconds left for the final score. As for the final shot, Westbrook had no regrets. “I had just made two (3-pointers) just before that, so I will live and die with that one,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook had a game high 35 points with 30 of them coming in the second half. He had four boards and five assists for the Lakers. Anthony added 19 points, five rebounds and five dimes off the bench. Rookie Austin Reaves scored 16 points, eight boards and three helpers.
Bridges led the Hornets with 26 points. He also had eight rebounds and six assists. Smith contributed 22 points, two rebounds and five assists of the bench. Ball had 20 points, two rebounds and two assists. Rozier also scored 20 points, with six boards and three assists. Mason Plumlee had a season-high 17 rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. was out with a sprained foot.
The Lakers travel to Atlanta to face Trae Young and the Hawks for a Sunday matinee game. The Hornets host Reggie Jackson and the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
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