Two days after they staged a virtual no-show during a 122-102 loss to a short-handed Atlanta Hawks team, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to get back on track on Monday when they faced the Charlotte Hornets. It was the second game of a five-game road trip for them, and it was of vital importance for them to make sure this trip didn’t go any further south.
They got some good news before the opening tip when guard Austin Reaves was cleared to return after missing their previous three games due to a groin strain. It turned it to be just the boost they needed to get back in the win column.
The first quarter was a shootout. The Lakers shot 58.3% from the field and scored 36 points, while Charlotte put up 40 points on 71.4% field-goal shooting. Both teams cooled off a bit in the second quarter, but Los Angeles was able to take a 65-63 lead at halftime on a layup by Reaves just before the end of the second period.
Once again, the team took control in the third quarter, and it did so on the strength of its defense, which held the Hornets to just 15 points in that frame, while it put up 33 points itself during that time. L.A. went up by as many as 18 points, and while the Hornets went on a mini-run and came to within six points in the final seconds, it was able to hold on for a 121-111 victory.
The Purple and Gold now have an 8-3 record and will start to prepare to meet the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
Rui Hachimura: A
Hachimura had a poor game in Atlanta on Saturday, but he returned to form on Monday. He hit nine of his 12 shot attempts and connected on all three of his 3-point tries, giving him 21 points, to go along with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
His mid-range game, as has been the case for most of this season so far, was seemingly automatic, and he continues to light it up from long distance.
Deandre Ayton: B-minus
Ayton converted seven of 10 field-goal attempts to score 14 points, but he didn’t attempt a single free throw. He had only six rebounds in 33 minutes, as well as no blocked shots, and his rim protection and close-outs on shooters seemed soft.
Still, he gave the Lakers better production overall than they got from the center position during the second half of last season.
Marcus Smart: A
Smart continues to spark the Lakers defensively with his overall activity. On Monday, he had a whopping seven steals, and he was a big reason they forced 23 turnovers and scored 31 points off those giveaways.
Offensively, he contributed 13 points on 4-of-9 overall shooting and 3-of-7 from 3-point range while dishing off six assists. In 37 minutes of playing time, he also grabbed four rebounds.
He may be the most irreplaceable non-star the Lakers currently have on their roster.
Austin Reaves: B-plus
Reaves wasn’t efficient in his return, as he went 7-of-17 from the field and 2-of-10 from 3-point range. But he helped make up for that by drawing fouls and attempting 11 free throws, of which eight were successful. He scored 24 points, to go along with seven assists, five rebounds and two steals, and while he was on a bit of a minutes restriction according to head coach JJ Redick, he didn’t seem to show any ill effects from his groin strain.
Luka Doncic: A
Doncic shot 5-of-15 from downtown, but the rest of his game was nothing short of excellent, as it usually is. He went 14-of-28 overall from the field and made all five of his free throws to score 38 points, and in his spare time, he dropped seven assists and added six rebounds and one steal.
Turnovers have been a problem for Doncic, not just this season but for most of his career so far, but on Monday, he had a season-low two turnovers. It was one reason the Lakers only had 11 turnovers after committing 20 of them on Saturday.
Jake LaRavia: D
This was an excellent game for the Lakers’ starters, but not so much for their reserves. LaRavia has played mostly well to start this season, but against Charlotte, he shot just 2-of-8 from the field and scored six points. He also had three assists, one rebound and one steal in 25 minutes.
Dalton Knecht: C-minus
In 11 minutes, Knecht made just one of his four shot attempts, but his one make was a 3-pointer, and it was his only attempt from beyond the arc. He did grab five rebounds and block one shot to help the Lakers’ cause.
Jaxson Hayes: B
Hayes got five rebounds, to go along with two points and one block, in 15 minutes.
Jarred Vanderbilt: D
Vanderbilt played 16 minutes on Monday, but he made almost no impact. He had just one rebound and one assist, and he went scoreless while not attempting a single field goal or free throw.
