Hornets vs Lakers

With LeBron James and Anthony Davis out for this one and the way Russell Westbrook had been struggling, the Hornets felt very confident coming into this game, and it showed. We were passing up layups for highlight plays, which is something I (as a fan) definitely don’t mind especially given the fact that we were playing on ESPN against the most famous franchise in the world.

Despite our loose play, the Hornets jumped out to a comfortable lead in the first half. It was very nice to see the Hornets containing Westbrook and Anthony, and I knew if the Lakers’ biggest threat was Kent Bazemore, then we were in good shape.

In the third quarter the Hornets loose attitude and need to make highlight plays caught up to us and we started turning the ball over. We all know when the Hornets turn the ball over their transition defense suffers, so that allowed the Lakers to easily get back in the game. At the end of three, the Lakers had cut the lead to two.

The fourth quarter was back and forth. For the Lakers, it was Russell Westbrook, and for the Hornets it was Ish Smith. Smith pretty much kept the Hornets in this game in the fourth. He made big shot after big shot and finished with 22 points, shooting 10 of 12 from the field. Sidenote: I don’t care what anybody says Ish Smith’s midrange pull-up is so fun to watch.

Anyway, the Hornets somehow ended up surviving this man Russell Westbrook and his 30 point second half. We squeaked out with a 117 – 114 victory.