On Saturday night in Charlotte, the Los Angeles Lakers collected back-to-back road wins for the first time during the 2017-18 season, as Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers to a 110-99 victory over Dwight Howard and the Charlotte Hornets.
Clarkson scored 22 points to lead the Lakers and scored 14 of those points in the fourth quarter when he seemingly took over a close game and ran screen and roll with Julius Randle to victory. The Lakers' sixth man also had six assists and five rebounds on the night, and Lakers coach Luke Walton stuck with his backup guard down the stretch.
Clarkson's late form kept rookie Lonzo Ball on the bench for the duration of the fourth quarter, but the starting point guard had a good night overall. Ball finished the night with nine assists, five points, five rebounds and a block in 27 minutes on the night.
Lonzo Ball said he was glad Luke Walton rolled with Jordan Clarkson in the 4th: "JC came in and he was cooking tonight, we rolled with him and I’m glad we did.”— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 10, 2017
Brandon Ingram, who is a North Carolina native, scored 18 points to lead all of the Lakers' starters in a balanced scoring performance with six different Lakers scoring in double-figures. Ingram continued to attack off the drive and successfully use his length at the rim.
Along with Clarkson and Randle, rookie Kyle Kuzma put in a strong shift off the bench. Kuzma finished the night with 12 points and 14 rebounds to record his eighth double-double of the season and his third double-double in the past four games. Kuzma has seemingly readjusted to life with the second unit after deputizing for Larry Nance Jr. in the starting lineup while the Lakers' starting power forward recovered from a fracture in his hand.
🎥 Six Lakers score in double-digits tonight as they defeat the Hornets, 110-99 #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/65ajjNFCyx— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 10, 2017
The Hornets were led by 23 points from Kemba Walker and 21 points and 12 rebounds by Howard, who played a single season in Los Angeles.
However, the Hornets did not shoot better than the Lakers from the field, three-point line or free throw line on the night, so a win was improbable for the home team. The Hornets also got out-rebounded by the Lakers, and LA limited turnovers, which have been a problem for the visitors, to only 14 giveaways for the game. Add in the offensive balance on display, and the Lakers celebrated an all-around feel good victory.
With the win, the Lakers improved to 2-0 on the current road trip, with stops in New York and Cleveland still to come.
