After a sluggish three quarters of play, the Los Angeles Lakers ratcheted up their intensity level in the fourth quarter and routed the Charlotte Hornets, 120-101.
Anthony Davis once again made his presence felt early on as he ended the first quarter with 16 points and five rebounds.
He would eventually finish the contest with a double-double as he tallied up 29 points and 14 rebounds to go along with three blocks and one steal. Davis also finally found some success from the perimeter as he managed to knock down 3-of-5 of his three-point attempts.
While fans are coming to expect these types of performances from the Davis, it was Dwight Howard who arguably had the most impact as he finished with a double-double of his own as he contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. His defensive presence was key in igniting the Los Angeles break as he repeatedly contested shots in the paint, earning four blocked shots in the process.
The win was also one of the few nights where the purple and gold did not necessarily need LeBron James to score the ball too much as the four-time MVP put up 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. James did most of his damage in the fourth quarter after a couple of defensive outings and seemed to hit the early three-point dagger to keep Charlotte from ever truly getting back into the game.
Alex Caruso should also receive some credit for the team’s victory because his insertion in the lineup late in the third quarter energized the Lakers and had them playing inspired basketball on both ends. Caruso’s performance should give head coach Frank Vogel a lot to think about when it comes to settling on his guard rotation given his ability to defend and act as a secondary ball-handler next to James.