A huge third quarter from the Lakers was enough for LA to bounce back from a frustrating loss to down the Hornets, 121-111.
Luka Dončić dazzled yet again, ending with 38 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Austin Reaves scored 24 points with seven assists. Deandre Ayton pitched in with 14 points and six rebounds.
Rui Hachimura caught fire in the second half, ending with 23 points. Marcus Smart tallied 13 points with four rebounds, six assists and seven steals.
The game featured lots of offense from
the jump. Luka was shouldering the scoring and was already in double figures with 11 points. Reaves and Ayton combined for eight points. Miles Bridges was up to eight points for the Hornets.
There was barely any defense being played, resulting in both teams shooting over 70%.
Charlotte started gaining more offensive momentum, giving them a five-point lead. Rookie Kon Knueppel had nine points. Bridges was a perfect 5-5 from the field for the Hornets.
After LA gave up a quick six points, Dalton Knecht drained a 3-pointer that helped keep the deficit only four at the end of the first.
A quick four points from Reaves helped make it a two-point game early in the second period. Six more points for Los Angeles had them in the lead until Charlotte responded with six points of their own to put them back ahead.
LA was shooting a rough 33% from behind the arc while the Hornets were shooting 52%.
Luka came back into the game and scored five points. He was leading the team with 18 points. Each time the Lakers seemed to gain some steam, Charlotte responded to keep itself in the lead.
Despite the lack of defense, Los Angeles was only down by three at the 2:06 mark. A 3-pointer from Luka and a Reaves’ layup at the buzzer sent the purple and gold into halftime with a two-point lead.
It was a nice start to the third quarter for the Lakers, who extended their lead to nine. LA was on an 11-4 scoring run led by Ayton with four points. A 3-pointer from Hachimura forced Charlotte to call a timeout.
Out of the break, Hachimura remained hot, knocking down another 3-pointer. It took the Hornets a few shot attempts, but Knueppel eventually drained a 3-pointer to try to stop Los Angeles’s momentum.
It didn’t matter, as the Lakers were cooking, not just offensively but also defensively.
The lead was still big for Los Angeles as they were up by 15 at the 2:38 mark. Hachimura continued a very dominant third quarter with five more points. Luka added five of his own, two of which came on a dunk.
A 3-pointer from Luka capped off a strong third-quarter performance from the team. Going into the fourth, the Lakers were up by 18.
Charlotte attempted to jumpstart a comeback with five points early in the final frame. Reaves drained his second 3-pointer out of 10 attempts. The Hornets started mounting a comeback once again, scoring eight points in a row to make it a 10-point game with 6:14 left.
After a timeout, Los Angeles surged with four quick points. Charlotte answered with six points. Luka then responded with a three-point play. Hachimura was still cooking with his usual midrange jumper, which put him at 21 points.
A 3-pointer from Smart marked all five starters scoring in double figures. LA allowed a late rally by the Hornets to make it close, but closed things out in the end with the lead never dipping below six.
Free throws from Luka, Austin and Rui sealed the win.
Key Takeaways:
Hachimura’s 13 points in the third quarter were huge. His midrange jumper has also become an incredibly automatic shot.
They escaped this time, but LA cannot get lazy when they have a big lead. They were up by 18 and should’ve kept their foot on the gas instead of giving Charlotte hope.
The Lakers’ next matchup is Wednesday against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder at 6:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
