Los Angeles Lakers rally late to down New Orleans Hornets 108-102: NBA Recap
Kobe Bryant scored 42 points as Los Angeles Lakers rallied late to sneak out a 6 point win over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night. The Hornets were 25 points clear of the Lakers at one stage, but Los Angeles came down
hard on New Orleans in the second half to squeak out a crucial win.
Such was the late game power of the Lakers that they held the surprised Hornets to only 9 points in the fourth quarter and scored 20 straight points in the last 6 and a half minutes of the game to secure the 108-102 away win.
Bryant dished out 12 assists and grabbed 7 rebounds to go along with his 42 points. Dwight Howard collected the second double-double for the Lakers with 20 points and 15 rebounds while Jodie Meeks added 19 points coming off the
bench.
"It's about who is going to stick together and who is not going to break. Even though we played a team that doesn't have the best record in the world, I think this type of win really (helps) our bond."
Bryant on how this win will motivate the Lakers to improve as they chase that play offs spot desperately.
Although 7 Hornets made it into double-digit scoring figures on the night, their coach Monty Williams was not impressed with his team throwing away the game. But he took the blame for his team tonight as he said,
"We gave up a 33-point quarter. That is tough to swallow, especially when we scored 39 points in the second quarter. We gave up 33 when we needed to get stops and that is hard to swallow and that is all on my shoulders. There is
nobody else to look at but me."
The first quarter was pretty even as both teams matched each other bucket for bucket down at the opposite sides of the court which resulted in the score getting tied in 28 all at the end of the period.
Second quarter was all about Hornets, they outscored the Lakers 39-20 to build up a decent advantage. However, it was not their night to be as Lakers came charging furiously in the fourth quarter to snatch the ‘W’.
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