On the land of Michael Jordan, LeBron James was obviously keen to shine and confirm his huge performance on Friday, his 38th birthday. Result of the races, he finished with a new scoring card: 43 points, to go with his 11 rebounds and 6 assists!
In the wake of their winger Super starwho is “only” 484 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the ranking of the most prolific scorers in history, the Lakers logically prevail among Hornets (121-115).
Too short, because led from start to finish, terry rozier (27 points), LaMelo Ball (24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) and others may notably regret their lack of skill (and defense) in the first three quarters.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Simply LeBron James. Decidedly, superlatives are constantly lacking to evoke the level of play of the “King”, who does not force much and evolves as if he still had his legs from ten years ago. Evidenced by his various alley-oops or dunks, and especially his sublime reverse of the third quarter, which would almost make us think that he did not celebrate his 38th birthday this weekend. Admittedly still very/too clumsy from afar (0/5), the quadruple MVP nevertheless remains ultra dominating at mid-distance and near the circle, and the defenders of Charlotte have also had to see the damage over time.
— Charlotte’s (too) late awakening. Led up to 24 points in this game, the Hornets let go from the second quarter, when they conceded a 14-0 that knocked them out. Then they kept chasing after the score, never managing to pick up, because of their lack of success in shooting and their defensive apathy (as well as LeBron James). Until LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier (finally) sounded the revolt in the last act, to inflict a 39-27 which made (a little) tremble the Lakers hardly accustomed to being serene this season. Proof that there was room to hope for better, by playing earlier…
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Thomas Bryant. As for ten games now, and the injury of Anthony Davis, the pivot of the Lakers shows that he has great things to bring in the paint, alongside LeBron James. The relationship between the two men is thus in good shape, even improving over the matches, and it is therefore no coincidence that “TB” ends up again with a (big) double-double on the clock: 18 points and 15 rebounds. All is not perfect, however, as Mason Plumlee took advantage of his shortcomings in defense, but the 25-year-old inside fills in brilliantly for Los Angeles offensively.
✅ Austin Reaves. Author of the last three rather complicated games, the energetic rear of the Lakers has bounced back very nicely: 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in 22 minutes. Reused off the bench, he played the sparks for the Californian franchise, also proving that his connection with LeBron James was on point, as on these two assists which put the “King” into orbit in the first half. time. We will especially remember that it was with the omnipresent Reaves on the floor that Los Angeles widened the gap in the first period. Proof of his positive influence on LA’s game tonight.
✅ mason plumlee. If LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier were able to put their ideas in place in the last twelve minutes, we must not forget that it was the pivot of the Hornets who held the house during the first three quarters, and in particular from of the second. Author of a big double-double (18 points and 14 rebounds), he thus hurt the Lakers’ racket, attracting fouls and repeatedly finishing actions near the circle, in an attempt to limit the damage on the side of Charlotte.
⛔ Russell Westbrook. A failed performance (2 points, 1/8 on shots, in 11 minutes, with 3 lost balls) but, above all, a premature exit due to injury (pain in the left foot). Far from being the best of evenings for the 2017 MVP, whose state of health will now be monitored…
⛔ Gordon Hayward. Another former All-Star in difficulty, but this time 100% (or, in any case, able to play the whole game), the Hornets winger ended the meeting with 8 small points in 26 minutes, at an ugly 2/9 on shots. Obviously not the kind of performance that benefited his team, who had to wait three quarters for LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier or him to get started. This was also the case for the Ball/Rozier duo, but not Hayward…
THE FOLLOWING
Charlotte (10-28) : reception of Memphis, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (01:00).
Los Angeles (16-21) : reception of Miami, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (04:00).
