Photo: USA Today
Wack-ish: The Lakers Fumble the Bag Against the Hornets
The Lakers had the league’s full attention at Crypto.com Arena, with the Association’s only game on tap for the evening—a makeup run postponed due to the LA wildfires.
In the early going, the Lakeshow looked more like a sitcom at a breakfast diner with all the turnovers they were serving—eight in just about the first nine minutes, with Luka himself responsible for five.
Still, there were hints of what might be to come, with Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith knocking down three straight from deep. There was even a flash of Luka Magic—a full-court dime and a dunk from the Don to Bron.
The Lakers’ small-ball lineup seemed too shifty for the Hornets’ newly acquired Jusuf Nurkić and Mark Williams, who—perhaps still shaking off those jilted altar vibes—combined for a whopping four points in the first half.
LaMelo Ball, returning to the Cali Southland, opened the third quarter by hitting twice from deep, continuing his stellar season. And while this was billed as a Luka-LeBron vs. Melo matchup, Rui Hachimura left his fingerprints all over the scene.
But hold up—the real true crime story? The Lakers getting buzzed and losing control of the lead, falling behind 66-65 with a minute left in the third.
Mr. Momentum’s jersey change had the LA faithful nervous after a 23-1 Hornets run… But have no fear—Father Time’s lone adversary wasn’t done.
LeBron James Sr. threw down a hammer Thor himself would be jealous of, followed by a laser from deep to tie it at 83.
Still, the pesky Hornets seemed determined to crash LA’s post-All-Star picnic, with big shots from Miles Bridges and Nick Smith Jr., plus some dazzling plays from Melo.
A thrilling late back-and-forth that court-side guest John McEnroe certainly approved of…
But despite the King proving his ankle was more than good—giving some big-screen sparkle in front of entertainment mogul Kenya Barris—my final thought on a loss to the lowly Hornets?
Wack-Ish.
– Bumper Robinson | Senior NBA Columnist for TheNSR Network
