By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com
Result With 1:01 remaining in the third quarter on Dec. 28 at Time Warner Cable Arena, it seemed as if Kemba Walker had enough. It was enough of the Kobe Bryant contingent dressed in purple and yellow threatening to explode each time he touched the ball. It was enough letting the Lakers stick around. This was Walker’s time. This was the Hornets night. It might have been another stop on the Bryant Going Away Road Show, but this wasn’t Kobe’s game. This was Kemba’s game and he proved it, rattling off 22 of the Hornets last 27 points and finishing with 38 to lead Charlotte to a 108-98 victory, moving the Hornets to 17-13 overall.
Turning Points Things turned quickly for the Hornets after Brandon Bass’ jumper with 1:12 remaining knotted the score, 81-81. Kemba Walker’s run started there as he converted Charlotte’s next two shots in the paint and nearly drained a 29-foot trey as time expired in the third, lead the Hornets to an 85-81 advantage with 12 minutes remaining. Walker wouldn’t slow down in the fourth either, as he tallied 11 of Charlotte’s next 13 points and almost single-handedly pushed the home team’s lead to 98-92 with 4:30 remaining. Following a dunk from Nicolas Batum on the break and two free throws from Walker, the Hornets wouldn’t allow the Lakers to get any closer than seven points the rest of the way on their way to a second-straight win.
Inside the Box Score Nicolas Batum logged his seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and a season-high tying 11 assists. His seven double-doubles ranks first among NBA shooting guards. It marks the third occasion the Frenchman has handed out double-digit assists this season with two season-best performances of 11 assists vs. WAS 11/25 & 11 assists vs. MIA 12/9… Marvin Williams grabbed 11 rebounds and has pulled down 10-or-more boards in a team-best eight contest this season… Hornets guard P.J. Hairston has now hit a three-pointer in eight-straight games, a career-best streak. He finished with 13 points tonight… Both teams shot lights out in the first half as the Lakers connected on 56.8 percent (21-of-37) of their field goal attempts to the Hornets 53.3 percent (24-of-45). Charlotte locked down defensively in the second half though, holding Los Angeles to 29.2 percent (14-of-48) shooting from the field while hitting on 43.2 percent (19-of-44) of their own shots… Lakers guard Kobe Bryant had a team-high 20 points; he’s now led the team in scoring 15 times this season… The game saw 21 lead changes and 13 ties.
Hornets Player of the Game Kemba Walker carried the load for the Hornets, finishing with a game-high 38 points on 14-of-25 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. He also connected on 7-of-7 free-throw attempts. It was Walker’s fourth game of 30-plus points this season. He has had five 30-plus point outings in each of the last two seasons. He also added six rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots, becoming the only player to log at least 35 points, at least five rebounds, at least five assists and at least two blocks in a single game twice this NBA season (tonight and vs. SAC 11/23).
Lakers Player of the Game Kobe Bryant gave the fans the show they were hoping to see, especially in the first half when he hit on 4-of-10 shots, including two three-pointers, and all six of his free throws for 16 first-half points. However, Bryant slowed down in the second and managed to connect on just 1-of-10 shots as he finished with a team-high 20 points to go with four rebounds and two assists.
Game Notes Charlotte is now 13-1 when scoring 100-or-more points on the year… With the win, the Hornets have improved to 7-3 vs. the Western Conference, after going 8-22 overall vs. the West in 2014-15… The game was a sellout, with 19,632 in attendance – marking the largest crowd to see a regular season game in Time Warner Cable Arena history… It was the second time this season the Hornets wore their alternate Buzz City uniforms.
Next Up The Hornets will close a four-game homestand against the Los Angeles Clippers at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30 in Charlotte. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
