Lakers vs. Hornets At the Half: 49-40
By Mike Garcia
This is a personal game for Jeremy Lin. Anyone remember how Jeremy Lin started getting attention? There was a big game, Harvard vs. the University of Connecticut. Lin scored 30 points in the game against Kemba Walker.
Unfortunately, this game has been a different story. The game started off slow, with a brickfest of jumpshots by both teams to start the game. The Hornets jumped out to a 15-6 lead on a couple of three-point shots by Marvin Williams. Jeremy Lin looked to attack the basket against Kemba, and caught him looking away on a strong drive to the basket. After a time out, the Lakers spurred on a run of their own. They had cut the lead down to 3 points, 17-14. Boozer hit a baseline jumpshot over two defenders. Lin attacked left and finished strong at the rim.
This began the game of runs.
The Hornets called a time out of their own, spurring on a quick 6-0 run. Kobe Bryant struggled early and tried to release his anger on a driving dunk, though he got fouled on the attempt. The Lakers finished the quarter down 25-18 on just 36% shooting from the field.
Ed Davis entered the game in the second quarter and made an immediate impact. He had a thunderous flush in traffic in the paint.
Ronnie Price drew an And-1 on an attacking drive.
Kobe Bryant and Jordan Hill started warming up a bit, gaining rhythm on a pair of 16′ jumpshots each.
The score was kept close until a late 14-6 run by the Hornets to close out the quarter.
The Lakers tried a few defensive schemes to some relative success. They surprised the Hornets in the second quarter with flashes of a zone defense. Later in the quarter, they flashed a 3/4 – court press. Although the Hornets were caught off-guard, they were able to hit the offensive boards and get Marvin Williams going. He hit three 3-pointers by the half.