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 Kobe Bryant and Jeremy Lin each scored 21 points, and the Los
Angeles Lakers ended a five-game skid with a 107-92 rout of the
Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night at Staples Center.
Lin connected on eight-of-12 shooting, including three of six on
3-pointers, and also dished out seven assists as the Lakers (1-5)
avoided the worst start in franchise history, an 0-7 beginning that
belongs to the 1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers. The Hornets (3-4) had
their two-game winning streak snapped.
"I think we played really hard tonight," said Lin, who scored 17
points on six-of-seven shooting and three-of-four on 3-pointers in
the second half. "Everybody gave everything they had and we had big
contributions from all around the board."
Proof that winning frequently cures all that ails, Lin called out
Barkley, the NBA on TNT personality who announced last week he would
fast until the Lakers won a game.
"I highly doubt that he fulfilled his end of the promise," Lin said
of Barkley. "So, I need confirmation that he lost weight and didn't
eat until today."
 Forward Carlos Boozer fed off Lin and Bryant, finishing with 16
points and six rebounds for the Lakers. Los Angeles center Jordan
Hill chipped in 12 points, a career-high seven assists and six
rebounds.
Center Al Jefferson led Charlotte with 23 points and eight rebounds,
while point guard Kemba Walker scored 17 points. Guard Gary Neal
came off the bench to add 14 points. Forward Marvin Williams scored
all 11 of his points in the first half.
"To me what happened is if you watch our body language when we
started missing -- we got good shots -- the ball didn't go in the
basket we stopped defending (and) we stopped rebounding," Charlotte
coach Steve Clifford said.
Charlotte held a 51-42 lead at the break before the Lakers used a
dominating third quarter to bolt past the Hornets and roll.
"They made big plays," said Walker, who made seven of 11 shots from
the floor. "They outplayed us in the second half. They wanted to
win; they got the win."
The Lakers had their best outing defensively. They held an opponent
to under 100 points for the first time this season and outscored the
Hornets 65-41 in the second half.
"We got stops, and you know when you get stops you get out and get
easy stuff and then their energy goes down because they're not
making shots and they you start smelling blood," Lin said.
Lin scored 12 points in the third as Los Angeles outscored Charlotte
34-13, including a 25-5 run to end the quarter. The Lakers also made
66.7 percent (12 of 18) of their shots compared to only 27.8 percent
(five of 18) for the Hornets.
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"I think we got pretty good looks. We just missed some shots,"
Walker said. "Defensively, we were out of sync. We didn't get enough
stops and they took advantage."
A layup by Boozer, who had 10 points in the third, tied the score at
59 with 5:35 remaining. Back-to-back treys by Lin and Bryant gave
the Lakers a 67-59 advantage with 4:07 left in the quarter. Two free
throws by Lin and a bucket by forward Ed Davis, who finished with 10
points by hitting all five of his field goals, with 2.4 seconds
remaining increased the margin to 76-64 heading into the final
period.
Los Angeles opened the fourth quarter with a 20-6 run to seal the
win. Lakers coach Byron Scott took out his starters with 2:07 left
in the game with the Lakers leading by 15 points.
"We did a better job defensively," said Scott, who earned his first
win as Lakers coach. "That's what we have been talking about since
Sept. 30th. Our guys did a much better job of understanding what we
want on that end of the floor."
NOTES: The Lakers spent their four-day break focusing on improving a
porous defense that has allowed 119 points per game in their last
four contests. "Really emphasized our pick-and-roll defense, talked
to our bigs about being a little more aggressive and being more
consistent on that end of the floor," coach Byron Scott said. ...
Lakers F Ryan Kelly missed the game with a sore right hamstring. ...
Charlotte's Steve Clifford served as an assistant with the Lakers
under Mike D'Antoni and Mike Brown before becoming head coach of the
Hornets in 2013. ... The Hornets resume their four-game West Coast
swing against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. They also visit
the Phoenix Suns on Friday and the Golden State Warriors on
Saturday. ... The Lakers hit the road for two games against the
Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday and the New Orleans Pelicans on
Wednesday.
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