Lakers escape in OT to push past the Hornets.
In the second overtime game of the season, the Lakers survived to push past the Charlotte Hornets with the help of their stars Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis, who combined for 78 points to win 126–123. Tonight's win over the Hornets moves the Lakers record to 6–5 on the season, putting them above .500.
A strange sequence of technical fouls on Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, and a delay of game technical helped keep the Hornets' chances alive in the 4th quarter, essentially giving them a five-point swing to help come back from a 14 point deficit. With seconds to go in the 4th quarter, Miles Bridges was able to nail a transition three to tie the game at 115 all, which gave the Lakers the ball with 23.7 seconds left and went into overtime after a missed three from Davis to win the game.
After the loss to the Trail Blazers, Anthony Davis missed the remainder of the game (left in the first quarter) due to a stomach illness, throwing up four times before the game. The Lakers reported that Davis vomited again at the end of the third quarter of tonight's overtime win after battling a stomach illness all game. Head coach Frank Vogel spoke on the big night from the Lakers big man, saying:
"We don't win this game tonight without him having that mindset that he's pushing through his health adversity."
In a game where he was still suffering from stomach illness symptoms, Anthony Davis finished with a dominant performance of 32 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Davis finished over 50% from the field after shooting 13 for 25 (52%) overall from the field in the overtime win, hitting a clutch baseline jumper to help give the Lakers a position to win.
For the second time this season and as a Laker, Russell Westbrook was able to secure a triple-double for the purple and gold. In 41 minutes, Westbrook finished 17 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds in the overtime win. Westbrook spoke on the type of player Anthony Davis is for the Lakers, explaining:
"He can do everything. He's a team guy, which is what you want…Regardless of what injuries he's dealing with, he puts the team first."
Throughout this season, Carmelo Anthony has been one of the biggest scoring machines for this Lakers bench. Continuously showing why he's a hall-of-fame forward, Melo helped this Lakers team push past the Hornets, finishing second in scoring for the Lakers with 29 points on 7 of 10 shooting from three off the bench. Melo was asked after the game about being out of the league just a couple of seasons ago, saying:
I think about that every day. I never believed that. I took that on the chin. I never doubted myself."
The Lakers will stay at home in their next matchup on Wednesday against the 7–3 Miami Heat. The Heat are coming off a huge loss against the Denver Nuggets and will try to get back on the win column against the Lakers in a must-see matchup.