Lakers blow lead, escape in OT against Hornets

LOS ANGELES — Without LeBron James, thing comes casual for the Lakers.

At slightest connected Monday night, winning did come.

It took until the past possession of overtime for the Lakers (6-5) to exhale, surviving a 14-point blown pb and grinding retired 11 hard-fought points successful the other play to get a 126-123 triumph implicit the Charlotte Hornets.

Much of the enactment was enactment connected the shoulders of Anthony Davis, who finished with a team-best 32 points – six successful overtime, including a brace of escaped throws that gave them a three-point pb with little than a infinitesimal left. The All-Star large antheral added 12 rebounds, 5 blocked shots and 3 steals.

Russell Westbrook bounced back, comparatively speaking, from a 1-for-13 shooting nighttime successful Portland connected Saturday, notching his 2nd triple-double (17 points, 14 assists, 12 rebounds) arsenic a Laker. He was peculiarly effectual successful the aboriginal going with 8 first-half assists, adjacent arsenic helium continued to beryllium flustered astatine the rim and finished 5 for 15 from the field.

It was the Lakers’ archetypal triumph successful the 4 games that James has missed this season; Monday was his 3rd consecutive sitting retired with an abdominal strain.

The Hornets’ LaMelo Ball delivered his ain triple-double (25 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists), and the erstwhile Chino Hills High star’s shooting interaction was a spot much precise (8 for 19). Terry Rozier added a season-high 29 points to pb Charlotte.

Still, the Lakers were riding precocious with 9 minutes left, erstwhile Carmelo Anthony – who had elicited cheers each nighttime connected his mode to a season-high 29 points – nailed a 3-pointer to enactment them up by 14, a gulf by the standards of the evening.

But their grip connected the crippled slipped connected an unusual fourth-quarter series that outgo them dearly with conscionable 3:39 left. They failed to get a reappraisal of a foul that went against Austin Reaves, past some Anthony and Westbrook were rung up connected method fouls that allowed Ball to compression 5 points retired of 1 possession, each astatine the free-throw line.

The pb slid from 9 points to 4 points, and conscionable kept sliding. The discourtesy sputtered and scored conscionable 5 points done the extremity of regulation. Westbrook besides missed a escaped propulsion that would person fixed the Lakers the triumph successful the fourth.

The past look was uninspired: a turnaround midrange jumper from Davis, thing helium has struggled with to commencement the season. The Hornets corralled the rebound with conscionable 1 2nd near and called a timeout, but their past effort by Miles Bridges (19 points) was obscurity adjacent the mark.

Super-sub Anthony had Lakers fans chanting his sanction Monday night, buzzing for his check-ins astatine the scorer’s table, inhaling profoundly each clip helium touched the ball, and tapping 3 fingers to their heads successful sync with the aboriginal Hall of Famer, arsenic helium enactment connected a amusement good worthy their admiration.

It was Anthony who initially stole the spotlight from his younger challenger, scoring 29 points connected a sizzling 9-for-13 shooting (7 for 10 from 3-point range), giving him a Staples Center people of good implicit 50% from down the arc this play (38 for 59).

While Anthony converted his just stock of improbable shots, helium was lone tangentially progressive successful the astir improbable handbasket of the game. Anthony hardly saved a shot from going retired of bounds adjacent successful the last seconds of the 3rd quarter, and helium attempted to bounce it disconnected Kelly Oubre’s feet. It ricocheted into the hands of Malik Monk, a erstwhile Hornet, who heaved it successful from midcourt to bushed the buzzer, putting the Lakers up 94-87 astatine the break.

In times similar the bumpy 4th quarter, it was hard to overstate however overmuch the Lakers missed James. There’s nary wide timeline for erstwhile the four-time league MVP mightiness rejoin the lineup, and lounging successful courtside seats with concern associates Rich Paul and Maverick Carter for the amended portion of the 3rd 4th made him look much similar a casual spectator.

Ball got a lukewarm hometown invited for his 2nd Staples Center crippled successful arsenic galore nights. Even Lakers proprietor Jeanie Buss applauded for the 20-year-old’s instauration by Lawrence Tanter.

But instantly aft opening tip, each eyes were drawn to Lakers halfway DeAndre Jordan, who had 3 dunks successful the archetypal 4 minutes of play, including a one-armed lob decorativeness atop a helpless Mason Plumlee that shook the arena. After his archetypal displacement of 7 minutes, Jordan led the squad with 10 points – a resounding connection aft Coach Frank Vogel acknowledged earlier the crippled that helium had felt “temptation” to commencement a smaller lineup with Davis astatine center.

Another older Laker who performed supra his play standard: Rajon Rondo. The 35-year-old defender checked successful with 4:52 near successful the 3rd quarter, and the Lakers finished connected a 24-10 tally to prehend the pb going into the last frame. During that sequence, Rondo doled retired six of his 8 assists, including 5 straight to Davis.

But if helium had much to connection successful the fourth, the Lakers didn’t get to spot it. Rondo was unceremoniously ejected with a flagrant 2 foul aboriginal connected successful the play aft swatting an limb down connected Rozier’s head.

A dunk by Davis gave the Lakers a 110-99 vantage with 5:10 near earlier the Hornets went connected a 16-5 tally to necktie the people astatine 115 with Bridges’ 3-pointer with 23.7 seconds remaining successful regulation.

More to travel connected this story.