Lakers Get the First Win Against the Hornets, 107-92

What started out as a decent first half, turned into a blow out in the second half.  The Lakers responded with a 34-13 run in the third quarter alone.

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The second half began with a few traded baskets.  Jeremy Lin hit a reverse layup in transition.  As the quarter went on, the Lakers began to heat up.  Carlos Boozer got more touches from the high post and started nailing shots from midrange. He finished with 10 points in the third quarter alone.  His third quarter spurt led to a tied game at 59-59, only to have Kobe Bryant and Jeremy Lin extend the lead once they were substituted back in.  The Lakers continued with another 8-0 run, beginning with a 10′ fadeaway from Carlos Boozer, a made three-point shot by Jeremy Lin, and another pull-up three-point shot by Kobe Bryant.  The Lakers took the lead and never looked back.  They continued with a 16-1 run to close the third quarter.  Ellington continued his hot shooting with another made three-point basket, while Ed Davis scored an And-1 in transition by sliding away from the defender in the paint.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 64-76, in Laker favor.

The Lakers rolled on their hot shooting into the fourth quarter.  A 36% field goal percentage in the first half was now 50% after three quarters.  The Hornets continually went to Al Jefferson, but the repeated pounding in the paint and the confusion of double teams led to sub-50% shooting from the field.  With 8:00 left in the fourth, Kobe and Lin came back again.  This time, the Hornets tried their last run.  Every made basket was followed up with a Laker made basket.  When Jefferson hit a 7′ jumper, Kobe hit a 21′ jumper.  When Jefferson hit a 5′ baseline shot, Jordan Hill responded with a 19′ jumper.  The momentum carried all the way until the end of the game, where the Lakers pulled a win, 107-92.

Jeremy Lin finished with 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field, 3 of 6 behind the arc, with 7 assists and 1 turnover.

Kobe Bryant finished with 21 points on 7 of 20 shooting from the field, 1 of 5 behind the arc, with 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Carlos Boozer finished with 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the field and 5 rebounds.

Ed Davis finished with 10 points on 5 of 5 from the field, with 5 rebounds in 22 minutes.