The first time that the Charlotte Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers met in the current NBA regular season, it happened on December 28 at the Time Warner Cable Arena, the home floor of the Hornets.
The Hornets edged the Lakers then via a 108-98 score that also saw Jeremy Lin contributing to the cause of Charlotte with 13 markers and four assists.
One of the highlights or downsides of that game was how Kobe Bryant fouled Jeremy Lin just before the close of the first half of play. Lin was running down court after Kobe missed a horrible attempt at the basket.
Lin up-faked and drove by a scrambling Kobe toward the paint and the Black Mamba nearly tried to tear Lin’s head off with a hard foul.
But instead of being apologetic about it, Bryant acted as if there was no foul at all. But those who have seen it was saying that it was close to a flagrant foul. For his part, Jeremy Lin just brushed it off as if saying to everybody else that it was all part of a game. Obviously, he has no ill feelings against the Lakers or any of its players, but he sure does love beating them on the court.
Two in a row
The second meeting between the teams happened on January 31 at the Staples Center, the home floor of the Showtime franchise.
Before the game, the Charlotte Hornets were toting a 22-25 win-loss record while the LA Lakers were having that woeful 9-40 win-loss slate, the worst in the Western Conference.
Although Kobe Bryant was initially reported to be unsure of playing because of a sore shoulder, the Black Mamba played and he poured in 23 points in 23 minutes of action.
But that was not enough to beat the humming Hornets who appear to be getting healthy in time for the second half of the season. The Hornets won the game via a 101-82 demolition of the Lakers, reports NBA.com.
Jeremy Lin got his sweet revenge on his former team by winning two in a row and it is almost certain that their teams would no longer meet again this season.
The 27-year-old Harvard graduate was also uncertain to play before the game because of an ankle injury but he played the same, scoring six points, dishing five assists, and pulling down five rebounds.
As if to make the victory sweeter for Lin and his team, they actually sent the Los Angeles Lakers crashing to their 10th straight loss.
A steady backup
Although a number of key players of Charlotte Hornets were suffering from various injuries, they got a lift with the return of forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist after being sidelined since October.
The Lakers game was the second since he returned to active duty and he went 6 for 7 field goals against the Lakers and also hit two three-pointers en route to 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Kemba Walker, the stabilizer of the Hornets amid its numerous player injuries, added 12 points. The prolific point guard has done his best to keep the Hornets afloat, averaging 20.3 points per game, along with five assists and 1.8 steals.
Walker is shooting 42.6% from the field and 36.3% behind the three-point line. During the Hornets’ first encounter with the Lakers this season, he dropped 38 points, making him too hot to handle for any of the Lakers’ guard thrown at him.
Jeremy Lin, on the other hand, has been a steady back-up for Walker this season, averaging 12.5 points and 3.2 assists per game, details the Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Lin was included by the NBA in the Chinese New Year TV commercial that also featured reigning NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and MVP contender last season James Harden of the Houston Rockets.
The TV spot is titled “Dining Table” and shows the three NBA stars sharing a New Year Day meal with a Chinese family. The commercial shall be broadcast until February 22 across all of NBA’s China television and digital partners’ platforms.
The Chinese New Year will happen on February 8 and the NBA TV commercial sort of gives NBA fans a glimpse of what is like having dinner with Curry, Harden, and Lin.