The Los Angeles Lakers had a disappointing start to their road trip as they were blown out by the severely shorthanded Atlanta Hawks to snap a five-game winning streak.
They had a chance to bounce back on Monday night, taking on another shorthanded team in the Charlotte Hornets. This time, the Lakers were more locked and were able to come away with a 121-111 victory to improve to 8-3 on the season.
Austin Reaves, who missed the last three games with a groin injury, returning to action in this one and kicked things off with an alley-oop to Deandre Ayton. Luka Doncic then threw a lob to Ayton of his own, followed by back-to-back three-point plays by the superstar to give the Lakers an early lead.
Miles Bridges was on fire for the Hornets early as no defense was being played by either team. Doncic was matching them, but Charlotte simply couldn’t miss in the first quarter as they took a 40-36 lead into the second. Bridges was 6-for-6 from the field for 16 points while Doncic had 13 of his own.
Reaves and Marcus Smart both connected from deep to begin the second quarter, helping the Lakers regain the lead.
At some point the Hornets were gonna need to cool down, but that didn’t really happen in the first half as they continued to pour it on. Doncic and Reaves were both doing their part to carry the Lakers as the former hit a deep triple and the latter beat the buzzer with a layup to give his team a 65-63 halftime lead.
Charlotte finally cooled down to begin the third quarter while the Lakers stayed red-hot offensively. Rui Hachimura led the way in that regard, having a stretch of 13 points including three triples in a row.
Doncic continued to do his thing, including a rare dunk, and the Lakers led 96-78 after a dominant third quarter. After giving up 40 points in the first quarter, L.A. gave up just 15 in the third.
The Lakers getting Reaves back really helped their offense as he hit another 3 to begin the fourth. The Hornets began chipping away though and L.A. needed a timeout midway through the fourth with the lead down to 10.
Doncic quickly restored order with a bucket though, and then Smart hit a triple to essentially put the game out of reach. The Hornets kept fighting until the final whistle, but their deficit was too much to overcome.
In his return to action, Reaves picked up where he left off with 24 points, five rebounds, seven assists and two steals while Doncic led the way with 38 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers’ road trip continues with their biggest test to date on Wednesday night when they take on the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
