The Los Angeles Lakers escaped with a narrow victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. Despite an incredible first quarter, the Lakers allowed the Hornets to hang around, making it a much more interesting finish than necessary. But in the fourth quarter, it led to a high-flying slam dunk from new Laker Dorian Finney-Smith on Hornets forward Miles Bridges that sealed the win.
The Lakers still had their starters in for the final minutes with the Hornets having closed the gap to as few as two points. But it was a six-point game when Finney-Smith got the ball at the top of the key facing off against Mark Williams. He glided past the Hornets big and rose up over a waiting Bridges, slamming it down with authority.
It helped secure a victory for the Lakers, and was one of Finney-Smith’s biggest moments with L.A. up to this point. He spoke about what was going through his head during the play and why he went for the ferocious dunk, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“I just gave up a five-point swing on the other end with the turnover too so I’m happy things did go my way. But they tried to make a late-game switch. AD had been having a game so they put the center on me to change the dynamic of the game, put me in pick-and-roll. Just knowing I’m gonna have a big, if I just show the ball, most times they’re gonna jump. I got the angle and Miles is Bridges was over there so I knew if I laid it in, he might throw it back to the crowd. So I had to go up there with confidence and dunk the ball.”
Finney-Smith definitely enjoyed the moment and especially that it came in a winning effort, but he was already on to Tuesday’s game by the time he spoke about it:
“Man, just trying to win tomorrow. We got another one tomorrow, just trying to keep it going. We’re trying to climb up the ladder so we’re gonna enjoy this win tonight but try to get another one tomorrow.”
The Lakers forward wanted people to know that he has the ability to get up for dunks like these on occasion, and even has a nickname for himself:
“I catch them every now and then. A little sneaky. I got called ‘Sneaky Bounce’ because a lot of people don’t think I’m gonna get up, but I’ll catch you slipping.”
A win over the Hornets on a Monday in January is not necessarily a win that needs to be celebrated, especially with a primetime game the very next day. But for the Lakers to hold on and secure their fourth straight win, with Finney-Smith playing a major role down the stretch, is a hugely positive sign for a team looking to take that next step.
Miles Bridges responds to Dorian Finney-Smith slam
Miles Bridges took to social media after the game to laugh about being put on a poster by Finney-Smith, giving the Lakers forward credit where credit is due.
🥷s get dunked on everyday B it’s apart of the game 🤣🤣🤣 good shit DFS
— Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) January 28, 2025
Bridges has put plenty of guys on posters in his career so it’s good to see him being a good sport now that it was his turn to be on the receiving end of one.
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