Bobcats overpower the stumbling Lakers on road, 109-89
The Los Angeles Lakers should have most probably been prepared for this loss, only they did not see it coming. The Charlotte Bobcats clinched a 109-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, 14 February.
The losing team’s coach, Phil Jackson, winded up in such a fastidious way that all the reporters could collect from the angry coach was, "I'm embarrassed about what we did and that's it," While walking away he added. "Thank you."
Kobe Bryant was not expecting this and neither were any of the other Lakers but then the Bobcats had always been overpowering them, haven’t they? After starting a brilliant road trip, the Lakers are facing difficulty in competing against the teams that are
coming in front of them. One after the other they are being defeated by the opponent teams and even Bryant, the two-times MVP (Most Valuable Player) was limited to nil from the free throw line in his previous encounter with Orlando Magic that was recorded
as the worst show from the foul line for the 32-year-old ace this season. However, the shooting guard seized 20 points going 3-for-4 from the free throw line this time.
Disappointment still lingers over the 13-times NBA All-Star. The player was in a continuing struggle and missed 11 of the first 16 shots that came his way. Overshadowed by the previous night’s encounter with the Magic, the player even committed five fouls
during the clash. Despite losing, the 5-times NBA champ gave his opposition a tough time defending against him.
Gerald Henderson later described the tough time he had against his counterpart when he said, "It's tough guarding (Kobe Bryant) because he has so much stuff to do. You just try to be physical with him and try to get him to shoot a contested jump shot. You
have to go out there and try to attack them and just play as hard as you can and see what happens.”
The Bobcats are struggling to seal a place among the final playoffs in East and defeated the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks while losing to the Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets.
The loss was huge for the Lakers as said by the Bobcats coach Paul Silas. The Bobcats are tenacious and deadly when it comes to a confrontation with Los Angeles. The Lakers were forced into giving 10 turnovers, saw seven 3-pointers getting wasted as they
missed them.
Gerald Wallace scored a double-double by scoring 20 points along with 11 rebounds in the win. Henderson clinched 18 points from off the bench for Charlotte.
The Bobcats wanted a big-win, so they had to come up with big numbers. The winners shot 23-for-36 from the field in the latter half of the game and sealed 5-of-10 shots from the 3-point area on their way to a 60-46 second half lead over the faltering Lakers.
Two fouls committed by Bryant changed the direction of the game for Charlotte for the better. The player had final two of his five horrible fouls in just a frame of eight seconds in the final chapter. As quoted by a Roman philosopher, “Luck is what happens
when preparation meets opportunity.” Bobcats sealed the opening nine shots of the final quarter in that frame, scoring 31 in that quarter alone.
Just one game left on road, the Lakers now await their encounter with one of the season’s worst team, Cleveland Cavaliers on 16 February. Will the Cavaliers be able to defend themselves against the stumbling Lakers? Only time will tell.
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