Anthony Davis had a big night in Charlotte as the 9th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers took on the 10-37 Hornets, winning 124-118. Though the Hornets are the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James wasn’t taking the game lightly, telling Lisa Salters after Saturday’s win in New York, “We still have one more game left on this road trip after back-to-back great wins in Boston and here, two of the hottest teams in the league. Finish it off in Charlotte. We have to be professional and understand that that is an NBA team, and if we don’t come to play, they will beat us.”
Lakers Trio Dominates First Half
Back-to-back threes for DL🎯 pic.twitter.com/mSHbYfrGcm
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 6, 2024
The Lakers dominated from tip-off going into halftime, having outscored the Hornets 37-29 in each of the first and second quarters of the game. D’Angelo Russell came out hot, shooting 8-14 from the floor to lead scoring for both teams, with 22 points at the half for the Lakers. Miles Bridges shot 8-14 along with Russell on his way to 21 points in the first half, keeping the Hornets alive in the game. Anthony Davis only missed two shots in the first half while on his way to scoring as much as he had in his previous game, 12 points while dishing out eight assists after constant double teams as the Hornets tried to contain the All-Star. LeBron contributed 17 points as he, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Davis combined for 51 points on 67% shooting in the first half to give the Lakers the 74-58 lead over the Hornets at the half.
LEBRON JAMES WITH A VICIOUS DUNK 🔨
LAKERS BENCH WAS LOVING IT 😂 pic.twitter.com/vf6RemoUi7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 6, 2024
Lakers Close Out Hornets on Last Game of Road Trip
Anthony Davis had his third career Triple Double, putting up 26 points while grabbing 15 rebounds and swatting three shot attempts, along with tying his career-high in assists with 11. LeBron James had 26 points, seven assists, and four rebounds in the win. D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers team in scoring with 28 points, shooting five of 12 from three.
RUIIIII ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/AFAGMz8cDB
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 6, 2024
Austin Reaves didn’t have his usual high-scoring night with only nine points but did dish out 11 assists. Taurean Prince, who had started every game on the season for a career-high 30 minutes per game, came off the bench for the second straight game, with Rui getting the start again. Prince still played 33 minutes, compared to Rui’s 19 minutes in the 113-105 Lakers win over the Knicks on Saturday night. This wouldn’t happen tonight in Charlotte, though, as Hachimura would play 29 minutes, 10 minutes more than Taurean Prince. Max Christie also received an increased role on the night, playing 18 minutes after great defense the past stretch of games. The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets on the same night as the trade deadline, February 8th.
Young Hornets Rookie Continues to Improve
For Charlotte, Miles Bridges, who had been in several trade rumors before the February 8th deadline, had an excellent game and kept the Hornets alive. Bridges led both teams, scoring 41 points while shooting 16 for 26 overall from the floor and 50% from three. Hornets rookie Brandon Miller, 2nd overall pick out of Alabama, had a fantastic fourth quarter, going on a 12-point run to close the game’s final five minutes. Miller finished the night with 33 points on five for 11 shooting from three, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals on the defensive end. Miller’s rookie season started slow, but over the last ten games, he has averaged 22.7 points with five rebounds and three assists while shooting nearly 50% from the field and over 40% from beyond the arc. In their next game, the Hornets will host the 17-32 Toronto Raptors in the Spectrum Center.
Brandon Miller STEAL and SLAM 😤 pic.twitter.com/zO1RhSDNkC
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 6, 2024
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