Just days ago, the situation was looking very concerning for the Los Angeles Lakers. They had lost back-to-back games in blowout fashion to the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks, both of which are lousy teams, and their playoff hopes were looking bleak.
But L.A. responded by downing the Boston Celtics despite being without LeBron James and Anthony James. It followed that win with a hard-earned 113-105 triumph over the New York Knicks on Saturday.
On Monday, the team ended its six-game “Grammy” road trip with a contest against the Charlotte Hornets, one of the worst teams in the NBA.
After falling behind 8-2 in the opening moments, the Lakers turned their game on and shot 64.4% in the first half en route to a 74-58 halftime lead. They still led by 14 to start the fourth quarter and seemed headed toward an easy win.
The short-handed Hornets came roaring back and made the outcome interesting in the closing minutes. But L.A. flexed its muscles enough to escape with a 124-118 win.
Los Angeles now has a three-game winning streak and a 27-25 record, which puts it in ninth place in the Western Conference. It is now just 3 1/2 games behind the fifth-place Sacramento Kings.
The team will have Tuesday and Wednesday off before hosting the defending world champion Denver Nuggets on Thursday.