Los Angeles Lakers Cop First Win Against The Charlotte Hornets
The five-game losing streak of the Los Angeles Lakers finally ended with a win over the Charlotte Hornets at the Staples Center. While Charlotte controlled the first half of the game, Los Angeles dominated the third quarter as the team finally got the game under control.
The four-day preparation of the Lakers paid off as they fended off a late rally by the Hornets in the fourth quarter. Al Jefferson scored 23 points for the Hornets while the Lakers were led by Jeremy Lin and Kobe Bryant with 21 points each. Carlos Boozer added 16 points for Los Angeles.
The opening quarter had the Hornets ahead by seven points as Charlotte had a 47.8 percent field-goal percentage. On the other hand, the field-goal percentage of the Los Angeles Lakers was limited to 36.4 percent in the first quarter. Kobe Bryant, Jordan Hill, Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin scored four points each in the first quarter while Al Jefferson led Charlotte with seven points.
The Hornets were up by nine points at the end of the first half. Charlotte had a better field-goal percentage at this point with 46.9 percent while the Lakers shot 39.5 percent. The Hornets also had a better three-point percentage as it hit 37.5 percent from beyond the arc while the Lakers missed all its attempts from the three-point line.
The Lakers made a breakthrough in the third quarter as it took a 12-point lead over the Hornets. Boozer led the rally of Los Angeles in the third quarter as he scored eight straight points that allowed the Lakers to take the lead.
Los Angeles outscored Charlotte, 34-13, in the third quarter as it improved its field-goal percentage to 47.5 percent while the Hornets had a 31.8 percent field-goal percentage.
The Los Angeles Lakers, which shot a 51.2 percent from the field, will face the Memphis Grizzlies next.