The year 2023 is here and the Los Angeles Lakers rung in the new year in style as they beat the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
It took another scoring masterpiece from LeBron James to get the job done, but nonetheless the Lakers were able to pick up a victory and end their road trip on a high note.
Los Angeles wound up going 3-2 overall on the road, a solid mark considering they are still without Anthony Davis who continues to deal with a stress injury in his foot. Prior to the win against the Hornets, head coach Darvin Ham reflected on his team’s performance and believes they’re in a good spot, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I think we’re in a good space,” Ham said. “We took that time as you mentioned on Saturday…obviously it’s New Year’s Eve, so allowed the guys to have a day for themselves. We had a lot of families that traveled to that game in particular –also the Christmas game– but that game in particular to bring in the New Year with the loved ones.
“Yesterday, we had a great opportunity to get after it a little bit in terms of focusing on ourselves and things. Touching things that we need to get better at and trying to sustain the good things that we’re doing. And had another good film session this morning, guys went over and got shots up. And hopefully we put ourself in a position to end the trip the right way.”
Los Angeles did just what Ham hoped by beating Charlotte to end the trip, even though it was a lot closer at the end than it needed to be. The Lakers led by as many as 24 points before the Hornets stormed back to make it a four-point game late in the matchup.
Despite the let down at the end, the Purple and Gold got the win and they are all crucial as they await Davis’ return to the lineup. Ugly wins don’t matter as much as the standings right now, and the Lakers fortunately have been able to build some kind of momentum as they head back home.
Dirk Nowitzki believes LeBron James becoming all-time scoring leader strengthens GOAT argument
James dropped 41 points against the Hornets, an amazing performance that moved him even closer to passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. The GOAT argument is becoming tighter than ever, and Dirk Nowitzki believes if James does pass Abdul-Jabbar, his case as the greatest ever becomes much stronger.
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