LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Kon Knueppel all played at their best to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a win over the Lakers.
The Summary
It was not an ideal start to the game. The Lakers made a bunch of shots, and both Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball had early drives where they absorbed a ton of contact with no whistle. They eventually stabilized, but had to go up against 19 first quarter points from Luka Doncic. Fortunately Luka had to rest at some point. The Hornets clamped up the Luka-less Lakers, came all the way back and then some. What was once a double digit deficit turned into a nine point lead at the half thanks to a Knueppel triple.
Luka regained his rhythm in the third quarter, but the Hornets got enough offense this time around to keep him from giving the Lakers an advantage on the scoreboard. Bridges and Ball also stayed hot for the Hornets and helped them maintain a lead into the fourth quarter. Brandon Miller solidified that with a three near the end of the third.
The Lakers went on a little run early in the fourth, forcing Charles Lee to take a timeout to get LaMelo back in the game. He quickly made an impact by making a three. He added a couple assists while Knueppel added a couple layups to help the Hornets back out to a double figure lead. They kept piling on while Gabe Vincent kept missing jumpers. The Lakers made their push with a few minutes left, but their run was quashed by a Moussa Diabate offensive rebound that led to a LaMelo three. He added one more after a LeBron turnover, and that effectively ended the game.
The Good
All of the Hornets key players played exactly how they’re supposed to.
LaMelo controlled the game. He lived on the perimeter, but that’s okay when he’s shooting as well as he did last week. He made some shots off the dribble that only he can make and ended up with nine made threes in the game. And he still found time to drop off 11 assists.
Miles Bridges kept the Hornets afloat at times when the offense wasn’t clicking. He’s been hot and cold from deep all season, but he shot a confident ball last night. That confidence carried inside the arc as well. He made some real impressive layups once he got going.
Brandon Miller continues to improve as the season goes on. The scoring inside the arc is a joy to watch. He was in complete control with the ball and added to his highlight reel of contortionist finishes around the basket. And to top it off, he had a couple of nice blocks defensively, including a chase down on the chase down master himself, LeBron James.
It’s crazy how we’ve gotten to the point where the 20 year old rookie has 19 point on 10 shots while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists and we’re like “ho hum just another day at the office.” It’s insane what Kon Knueppel is doing. And he probably should’ve had few more free throws as well.
The Bad
I hadn’t seen too many full Lakers games with both Luka and LeBron healthy. I had never thought about how much whining that puts on the floor at the same time. I don’t think there was a moment where at least one of them didn’t have their palms to the sky questioning the officials over something.
What’s Next
The Hornets are now 2-1 to start their west coast road trip, which already a win compared to what we’re used to on these trips. Next stop is Golden State to take on Dell Curry’s son and the Warriors.