In a game of runs, the Los Angeles Lakers held on for a 110-99 win over the Charlotte Hornets in what was a homecoming for Brandon Ingram. He didn’t produce an explosive performance but scored 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.
Ingram was one of six Lakers to score in double-digits on the night. Jordan Clarkson led the team with 22 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter. He also did a stellar job looking for his teammates, particularly during a second-quarter run that erased a deficit.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in with 15 points, Brook Lopez scored 13 points, and Kyle Kuzma had and Julius Randle each had 12 points to help the attack off the bench.
Kuzma also pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds to notch his eighth double-double this season and third in the last four games. It was a bit of a bounce-back night for the rookie, as he was held to a season-worst three points against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Meanwhile, Lopez did the bulk of his damage from behind the arc, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers and doing his part to lure Dwight Howard away from the basket. As seems to be the case whenever he matches up against the Lakers, Howard had a little extra burst to his step.
And with it came multiple instances in which Howard exchanged words with various Lakers. He tied for the team-high with 21 points and led the Hornets with rebounds. Kemba Walker got the better of the point-guard matchup in the scoring department, finishing with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
Lonzo Ball again played with aggression in the early minutes, though it was tempered by his two fouls in the first quarter. He scored just five points but had five rebounds and led all players with nine assists.
Since snapping their season-worst five-game losing streak, the Lakers are on a modest two-game winning streak and have notched consecutive road victories. Los Angeles went on a 21-6 run midway through the fourth quarter to pull away from the Hornets.
WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE NEW FORUM CLUB