CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Lakers outlasted the Hornets on Monday behind a season-high 42-point, 23-rebound performance from Anthony Davis, dropping Charlotte, 112-107, on the road for their sixth win in the last seven games.
“[He] locked in, just dominant from start to finish,” LeBron James said on Davis. “He carried us tonight on our first game on the East Coast. He had it all going.”
The Lakers' fourth straight win pushes their record to 26-18 and 10-12 on the road this season.
Here are some takeaways from the Lakers road win in Charlotte:
Anthony Davis’ Explosive Season-High Showing
It took Anthony Davis one quarter to notch his 31st double-double of the season, scoring his first seven shots, six of which came from inside the paint. He finished the first quarter with 21 points and 11 rebounds—the first time he’s ever done that and his fifth 40-20 game.
“All facets of my game was working,” Davis said.
Davis also added his total blocks in the opening quarter, getting two rejections protecting the Lakers' paint.
Davis would pour on 19 points in the second half to earn his season high (43) in scoring and rebounding (23). This is the third time this season Davis has scored 40+ points.
Explosive Jump Start, Crash Second Quarter
The Lakers took control from the jump and, with emphasis, outscored Charlotte 8-0 to start and then 21-5 behind 12 straight field goals from L.A. midway in the quarter.
Davis, along with the rest of the Lakers squad, would cool down in the second quarter as the Hornets climbed back from a 23-point deficit, outscoring L.A. 32-20.
Charlotte would knock down five of 12 shots from 3-point range in the quarter behind 50% shooting from the floor… despite an early exit (ankle) from All-Star guard LaMelo Ball.
DFS Dunk-quake Down the Stretch
The Lakers would slowly keep their lead in the fourth quarter until a final push from the Hornets kept inching them closer.
With just over a minute left in the game and the Lakers up six (108-102) and in desperate need of a bucket, Dorian Finney-Smith sparked a mini earthquake felt all the way in L.A.
James dished the ball to Finney-Smith with a behind-the-back pass at the top of the key, pump-faking his defender—which he bit on and jumped—and drove down the lane to flush it down for the facial on Hornets Miles Bridges.
pic.twitter.com/z3YveygEEJ https://t.co/6eoCpcW5AI
— Carlos Yakimowich (@CarlosYakNBA) January 28, 2025
The Lakers would close out the game despite a late scare with Davis fouling Josh Green down six to make it a three-point game.
Next Game
The Lakers will travel to Philadelphia for the second game of a back-to-back on Tuesday. This will be their third game on a current six-game road trip.
The Sixers are riding a two-game win streak after losing seven straight games. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey has led in eight of the last 10 games for Philadelphia.
In 37 games this season, Maxey has averaged 26.6 points.