Much has been made over the recent struggles of the Los Angeles Lakers. Many know that everything the Lakers do is blown out of proportion, and sometimes one win or one loss carries more weight than it should. However, after three straight losses that saw the Lakers blown out, the fans were nervous heading into tonight’s game with the New Orleans Hornets.
The Hornets have all the elements that spell disaster for the Lakers. Their strong point guard play and ability to run the pick and roll both are troublesome for Los Angeles, and it would take an all-around effort for the Lakers to end the losing streak.
First Quarter
It seemed that the Lakers were as frustrated as anybody coming out of the locker room to start the game. They had a sense of energy and purpose that has been lacking the past few games, and for most of the season. However, that doesn’t mean that they played perfect basketball. In fact, they still were making careless mistakes that cost them in the opening quarter. Despite hot shooting and solid ball movement, the Lakers were turning over the basketball and giving too many free possessions to New Orleans. This was a troublesome sign for the Lakers, as turnovers have spelled doom for them in nearly every loss this season.
The main difference for the Lakers was the play of Andrew Bynum. The young center made his first start of the season for Los Angeles tonight, and his impact was immediate. He scored 6 early points and gave New Orleans trouble defensively. The Hornets had been on a rebounding tear, out-rebounding their last several opponents by wide margins. The Lakers clearly had a plan for this going into the game, and were able to win the rebounding edge and use it to benefit them offensively.
At the end of the first quarter the Lakers had a slight 26-23 lead, but considering how well they had shot the ball it seemed a disappointing lead. Too many turnovers allowed New Orleans to stay in the game, and Los Angeles would have to fix that heading into the next three periods.
Second Quarter
After a strong first half that only gave the Lakers a three point cushion, Los Angeles was looking to put some distance between themselves and the Hornets. For the first time in a long time they were able to do just that. Los Angeles used solid team basketball and hot shooting to build a big lead against the overwhelmed New Orleans squad.
All the elements that had haunted the Lakers for the past week seemed like distant memories, as they were able to execute their style of play in almost every aspect of the game. The struggling bench mob provided a huge lift as well, something that has been nonexistent over the past three games. After a horrendous shooting night in San Antonio on Tuesday, Kobe Bryant also bounced back with a much more efficient first half. By the time the second quarter was over the Lakers had established a 59-41 lead over the Hornets.
Next: Second Half
Third Quarter
Heading into the third quarter last night in San Antonio the Lakers had a small lead and were looking to build on it. However, that didn’t work out as the Spurs walked all over them en route to a dominating 15 point win. The Lakers were not about to watch New Orleans do the same thing tonight. They came out of the locker room with a sense of purpose, and drove at New Orleans in an attempt to put it out of reach early. Unlike the Lakers we have seen for much of the season, tonight’s squad had a sense of urgency that was previously not there.
Led by the continued great play of Lamar Odom and the entire starting five, the Lakers put the game on cruise control – in a good way. They continued to play solid defense and find open looks, which was a stark difference from the poor defense and contested shots they’ve been showing off lately. By the end of the third quarter Odom was shooting 7-9 from the floor and had 18 points, leading the way for the Lakers in his first game off the bench this season. Entering the final quarter of play it seemed inevitable that the Lakers would finally put another win under their belts, and were leading 83-60.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter was nothing but a formality for the Lakers and Hornets tonight. It has been a long time since the Lakers were able to coast to an easy victory in the last twelve minutes, and it seemed as if that is what would be the case tonight. However, New Orleans wasn’t about to give up, and they deserve plenty of credit for that. The Lakers continued to struggle with turnovers, however, as they committed their twentieth of the night halfway through the quarter. The Hornets cut the lead down to 17 in the fourth, which was the closest the lead had been since early in the second half.
There is no doubt that tonight’s performance was crucial for the Lakers. After all the questions and speculation surrounding the team over the recent losing streak, a solid win like this one does wonders for a team’s confidence. The return of Bynum to the starting line-up appeared to be one of the solutions to the Lakers many problems, but that certainly doesn’t mean all ills are cured. The Lakers still had far too many turnovers in this game, and in a game where they aren’t as hot shooting the ball that can cost them.
The player of the night for Los Angeles was Lamar Odom. After accepting his role as a reserve again, Odom went out and set a career high in points as a back-up. It was a great night for Odom, as he finished with 24 points off the bench. The Lakers defeated the Hornets 103-88, ending their losing streak.