By Sam Perley, hornets.com
Looking to finish off their four-game road trip with a win, the Charlotte Hornets put together a dominant performance against the hometown Lakers, tallying an impressive 101-82 victory on Sunday, Jan. 31, in Los Angeles. Leading the way for the Hornets were Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who each finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the victory, which also snapped a two-game skid for Charlotte. In his last game ever against the Hornets, Kobe Bryant shined for the Lakers with a game-high 23 points in the loss.
Turning Points Holding a 42-34 lead with 3:41 remaining in the second quarter, Charlotte rolled off a quick 9-2 run in under two minutes of play to open up a 15-point advantage over the Lakers. The Hornets maintained their lead all the way until the end of the frame as they entered halftime up, 58-43, after connecting on a season-high 11-of-21 three-point attempts in the first half (52.4 percent). Los Angeles got off to a quick 6-0 start in the second half before the Hornets exploded late in the third quarter to take a 83-60 lead into the fourth. From that point, Charlotte put the game on cruise control as it notched its third-consecutive win against the Lakers.
Inside the Box Score Marvin Williams led the Hornets with a team-high-tying 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting along with a game-high-tying 12 rebounds, two assists and team-high three blocks for his career-high eighth double-double of the season… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist notched his first double-double since Mar. 4, 2015 as he finished with a team-high-tying 19 points, a game-high-tying 12 rebounds and three assists… Kemba Walker also scored in double figures with 12 points, seven rebounds and a game-high six assists… Frank Kaminsky finished with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks… Troy Daniels and P.J. Hairston each chipped in nine points… Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds and a team-high three assists… Jordan Clarkson added 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting… Lou Williams tallied 11 points on 1-of-10 shooting (8-of-8 from free-throw line), two rebounds and two assists… Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell also scored in double figures with 10 points apiece… Randle added a team-high 11 rebounds for his team-high 18th double-double of the season… Charlotte allowed a season-low 16 first-quarter points and scored a season-high 37 second-quarter points… The Hornets dominated the Lakers on the glass, 59-42, which included a 14-4 advantage in offensive rebounds… Los Angeles dished out just 13 assists, which is the fewest by a Hornets’ opponent this season.
Hornets Player of the Game Michael Kidd-Gilchrist put together an outstanding performance in just his second game of the season, finishing with a team-high-tying 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting, a game-high-tying 12 rebounds and three assists in just 28 minutes of play. In two games so far this season, Kidd-Gilchrist is averaging 16.0 points on 73.3 percent shooting, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31.0 minutes of action.
Lakers Player of the Game Kobe Bryant had a strong outing against the Hornets with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, a team-high three assists and two steals in the Lakers’ loss. Bryant has now scored 20-or-more points in a game 12 times this season, which is the most of any player on the team.
Game Notes Nicolas Batum (toe), Jeremy Lamb (toe) and Cody Zeller (shoulder) did not play for Charlotte… Larry Nance, Jr. was sidelined for the Lakers (knee)… The Lakers have lost a franchise-record-tying 10-consecutive games, which is their longest losing streak since April 1994… Charlotte has won three-consecutive games against the Lakers for the first time since March 26, 2008-March 31, 2009. This three-game winning streak is also tied for the longest in Charlotte’s franchise history against the Lakers.
Next Up The Hornets will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3 in Charlotte. This game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
