February 21 ------ LaMelo Ball scored 27 points, including a driving layup with 14.2 seconds remaining, as the visiting Charlotte Hornets pulled off a 100-97 victory in a make-up game over the Los Angeles Lakers. Miles Bridges scored 29 points, Nick Smith Jr. had 12, and Mark Williams added 10 points with 9 rebounds as the Hornets won in the NBA’s first game following the All-Star break.
Charlotte, which snapped a three-game skid, was in the Los Angeles area in early January when it had two games postponed because of deadly wildfires. Ball, a Los Angeles-area native, added 6 assists with 5 rebounds while helping to fuel a 23-3 run between the third and fourth quarters. The Hornets won while shooting just 36.3% from the floor.
LeBron James scored 26 points with 11 assists and Rui Hachimura had 17 points with 8 rebounds as the Lakers lost consecutive games for the first time since January 5-7. James missed a pair of three-point attempts in the closing seconds that would have tied the game. Luka Doncic had 14 points with 11 rebounds and 8 assists in his third game since he was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline. Doncic shot 5-of-18 from the floor and 1-of-9 from three-point range. Dorian Finney-Smith had 12 points off the bench for Los Angeles, which was without Austin Reaves (8 points) after he was ejected for arguing a non-call in the third quarter. The Lakers led by as many as 13 in the third quarter.
The Lakers led 63-52 with 4:34 remaining in the third before the Hornets went on a 14-2 run to take a 66-65 lead with 1:46 remaining in the period. Included in the stretch was Reaves’ ejection. Charlotte extended the run to 23-3 for a 75-66 lead with 10:53 remaining before Los Angeles fashioned its own rally. The Lakers led 88-85 with 4:44 remaining before Bridges tied it on a three-pointer with 4:19 left. The Hornets were up 96-94 when Hachimura missed a pair of free throws for the Lakers with 37.1 seconds remaining. Ball’s layup with 14.2 seconds remaining put Charlotte up 98-94 before James made it a one-point game on a three-pointer with 6.1 seconds left. Ball then made two free throws for the final margin.
Source: rappler.com
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