Since winning the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Championship, the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen on some tough times. They were 14-9 heading into that matchup with the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas but had gone only 2-6 leading into their matchup with the Charlotte Hornets on December 28th.
Some of the losses were truly head-scratching as Los Angeles lost to the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, two teams well under the .500 mark. But, the Lakers were able to build what they hope is some positive traction against Charlotte.
Needing a great performance to get start building some positive momentum, the Lakers got it on Thursday night. They convincingly defeated the Hornets, 133-112 at Crypto.com Arena. It was a total team effort as Los Angeles made some NBA history in the process.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
They were incredibly efficient in defeating the Hornets, shooting 52-of-97 from the field overall and 15-of-30 from 3-point range as the ball was moving freely, resulting in 41 assists. Los Angeles made all 14 of their free throw attempts as well as they couldn’t miss from anywhere on the court.
That offensive performance will land this team in the history books. According to OptaSTATS on X, formerly Twitter, the Lakers became the first team in NBA history to score 130+ points, hand out 40+ assists, make 15+ 3-pointers and not miss a free throw in the same game.
Seven different players scored in double-figures for the Lakers, led by 26 points from Anthony Davis. LeBron James recorded 17 points and 11 assists as Charlotte had no answers for them on the offensive side of the ball.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Off the bench D’Angelo Russell thrived, scoring 16 points with nine assists. He was tied for the team-high in second-unit scoring with Austin Reaves, who scored 16 points with two rebounds, four assists and one steal in a solid all-around game.
Hot shooting performances like that won’t happen every night, but the Lakers have to be encouraged by that showing. They now have some positive momentum going into a difficult back-to-back set on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans before heading into the New Year.
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