|
 Forwards Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 19 points
and grabbed 12 rebounds apiece, and the short-handed Hornets pounded
the lowly Lakers 101-82 Sunday night at Staples Center.
Point guard Kemba Walker had 12 points, seven rebounds and six
assists in 33 minutes for the Hornets, who snapped a two-game losing
streak. Charlotte (23-25) also got 11 points from backup center
Frank Kaminsky.
"We just wanted to end the road trip in the right way," said Walker,
who managed just 3-of-14 shooting but made four of five foul shots.
Charlotte beat the Sacramento Kings in double overtime to open the
trip on Tuesday before losing to the Utah Jazz and the Portland
Trail Blazers.
"To go 2-2 I think is pretty good for us," Walker added. "We've been
on the road for so long. The energy was great from the jump. That's
what we wanted. We wanted to come out and be aggressive and come out
with intensity and have some great energy throughout the game.
That's what we did."
Forward Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, hitting four 3-pointers, to
pace the Lakers, who tied a franchise record with their 10th
consecutive loss. They haven't dropped 10 in a row since they ended
the 1993-94 season on a 10-game skid when Earvin "Magic" Johnson
coached the club. Johnson sat courtside Sunday.
Guards Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams scored 13 and 11 points,
respectively, for Los Angeles (9-41). Forward Julius Randle finished
with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while backup point guard D'Angelo
Russell had 10 points and six rebounds.
"They just played harder," Randle said. "They came in today with a
better mindset than us and outplayed us."
The Hornets were without centers Al Jefferson (right knee surgery)
and Cody Zeller (strained right shoulder) and forwards Nicolas Batum
(toe strain) and Jeremy Lamb (sprained big toe), but it still didn't
hurt them against the Lakers.
Charlotte shook off a sluggish first quarter to roll the following
three periods. The Hornets outscored the Lakers 37-27 in the second
quarter for a 58-43 halftime advantage. By the end of the third
quarter, the lead grew to 83-60 as the boos from Lakers' fans
intensified.
"I think the fans are just as frustrated as we are," Lakers coach
Byron Scott said. "I don't think the boos -- well hopefully the boos
weren't because of a lack of effort because I thought our guys
played all right. We just missed shots."
The Hornets' defense had a little to do with that.
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"We just kept getting stops," said Williams, who made seven of 13
shots from the floor and four of eight from 3-point range. "We got
stops and we were able to turn some of those into points on the
offensive end. I feel like when we defend, we leave ourselves a
chance to (succeed) on the offensive end."
The Hornets rode their 3-point shooting in the first half,
converting 11 of 21 attempts (52.4 percent) to six of 13 (46.2
percent) for the Lakers. Overall, Charlotte made 13 of 36 (36.1
percent) from long distance to eight for 29 (27.6 percent) for Los
Angeles.
"Guys got a lot of open looks," Williams said. "When you get open
looks, you got to let them fly. It definitely helps out when they go
in."
The Hornets actually were hitting a higher percentage of 3-pointers
for much of the game. They finished making 37.5 percent of their
shots from the floor compared to 33.8 percent for the Lakers.
Charlotte held a considerable edge in the rebounding department at
59-42. The Hornets also outscored the Lakers 20-4 in second-chance
points, and they limited the Lakers to 13 assists while compiling
28.
NOTES: Lakers F Kobe Bryant's four 3-pointers against the Hornets
allowed him to past Peja Stojakovic (1,760) for 12th-best all time.
Bryant now has 1,762. ... Lakers F Larry Nance Jr., who missed the
contest with a sore right knee, could be out until after the
All-Star break. Nance, who is averaging 5.8 points and 5.0 rebounds
per game, missed four games in late January dealing with the
problematic knee, and the club is taking a more cautious approach
regarding his return. ... Charlotte won 108-98 behind 38 points from
G Kemba Walker in the two clubs' initial meeting Dec. 28. ... Marge
Hearn, 98, the widow of the late and legendary former Lakers
broadcaster Chick Hearn, died of natural causes Saturday night. ...
The Hornets host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. ... The
Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at Staples Center.
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