Los Angeles Lakers ride strong second half to blowout over Charlotte Hornets

The Los Angeles Lakers asserted their dominance over the Charlotte Hornets in the second half of the game, leading to a blowout victory.

The Los Angeles Lakers had their first truly dominant victory of the season on Sunday evening against the Charlotte Hornets. The Lakers won the game 120-101, as they rode a strong second half to a blowout victory.

After allowing 62 points in the first half, Los Angeles regrouped in the second half and blew the doors off of the Hornets. Charlotte scored only 39 points in the second half as they were unable to break away from a stifling Lakers defense that saw their effort step up after halftime.

The Hornets shot 38.5 percent from the field overall and only 28.6 percent from the 3-point line. The free throw line was the only place Charlotte really saw much of an advantage over the Lakers, as they made 21-of-23 from the charity stripe compared to 11-of-14 for Los Angeles.

Another reason for the slow start was LeBron James‘ aggressiveness or lack thereof, as he only made one shot in the first half. He was more than willing to be the facilitator, but in the second half, he really picked things up.

James would finish the game with 20 points to go along with six rebounds, 12 assists and one steal. When he turned it on, the Lakers took control and ran the Hornets out of the building.

Charlotte has struggled against frontcourt players, and tonight was no different. Anthony Davis had a big game, as rookie PJ Washington had no answer for him. Davis finished the game with 29 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, one steal and three blocks.

He made his first 3-pointers of the season, knocking down 3-of-5 and making all six of his free throws as well. He did head to the locker room early with what is being reported as a shoulder ailment, but he played through the pain after injuring it on an attempted dunk in the third quarter.

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Another frontcourt member that had a big game was Dwight Howard. Howard led what was a great performance by the bench unit by setting the tone on both ends with his play.

Howard double-doubled off the bench, making all eight of his shots for 16 points and 10 rebounds to go along with one assist. He also got it done defensively, as he blocked four shots while challenging and altering multiple others.

Quinn Cook also had his best game as a Laker. He came off the bench and delivered 12 points, knocking down two 3-pointers, to go along with eight assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope broke out of his shooting slump, scoring 10 points, knocking down 4-of-8 shots and 2-of-4 from deep.

Frank Vogel deserves some credit for adjusting his lineups for a second consecutive game in the second half. Once again he began using Alex Caruso after halftime and once again the tactic worked. The only difference was that JaVale McGee played just under six minutes to begin the half.

For Charlotte, Miles Bridges led the way with 23 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Cody Zeller and Terry Rozier added 19 points each, while Dwayne Bacon added 15, as they were the only four players to really get anything going against the Lakers defense.

The Lakers will play their next game on Tuesday, Oct. 29 when they host the Memphis Grizzlies in the final game of their three-game homestand.