Lakers Stung By Hornets 104-103

Jeremy Lin played a strong game but a few late errors led to the LA Lakers coming up short against the Charlotte Hornets

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their three-game road trip with a 104-103 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. In a fiery game that started out as a competitive contest, the Lakers did not return for the second half with the correct level of sharpness, rallied back in the fourth quarter but ultimately threw the game away late.

For the first half, Lakers guards Jeremy Lin and Jordan Clarkson helped LA to 50 points. Lin led the team with six assists at the intermission, and Clarkson led LA in scoring with 11 points at halftime. Carlos Boozer managed 10 points and eight rebounds, which would eventually lead to the forward's 10th double-double of the season.

For the Hornets, Al Jefferson lived up to his well-earned reputation and led all scorers with 13 points at the break. Mo Williams, who has been a catalyst for the Hornets since joining the team at the trade deadline, matched fellow backcourt mate Gerald Henderson with seven points and four assists.

With the game tied at 50-50, the Lakers came out flat and fell behind by double digits. Henderson led the home side with eight points in the third quarter, but all five of the Hornets' starters made at least one basket in the period.

Down 11 points less than five minutes into the second half, the Lakers fought back to trim the lead to only four points by the end of the third quarter. Clarkson, Boozer and Lin led the rally and combined for 14 of the Lakers' 20 points in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers earned another boost from Lin. The Lakers' backup point guard took the initiative early in the period to keep the Lakers close and even tie the game a couple times. However, Lin wasn't perfect. He committed three horrendous errors--the last of which took the air out of the Lakers' late rally.

Clarkson, who returned to the game with slightly fewer than four minutes remaining, got a couple open looks from behind the three-point line, but the rookie could not hit. Lin's late trio of turnovers combined with Clarkson's long-range misses hurt the Lakers' chances and lost the game ultimately.

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Eventually, the one-point loss only looked that close due to late missed free throws by the Hornets and a futile made three-pointer by Lin at the final buzzer.

On the whole, both Lin and Clarkson played well. Clarkson finished with 19 points and four assists, while Lin led all scorers with 23 points and added eight assists and six rebounds. Boozer finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds despite not playing any of the fourth quarter.

Next, the Lakers play the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

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