Walker guides Hornets past Lakers
LOS ANGELES -- Kemba Walker scored 30 points and dished out seven assists, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a 109-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Frank Kaminsky scored 24 points and collected 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who have won five in a row against the Lakers. Marvin Williams added 16 points for Charlotte (26-34).
Julius Randle had 23 points, 18 rebounds and six assists for the Lakers (19-42), who have lost five consecutive games. D'Angelo Russell also scored 23 and recorded nine assists, while Jordan Clarkson added 16 points. Nick Young contributed 15 points.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Walker and Williams gave the Hornets a 103-98 edge with 1:08 remaining. Two foul shots by Kaminsky with 27.2 seconds left made it a seven-point lead, but two 3-pointers by Russell closed the gap to 107-104.
Walker's two free throws with 9.2 seconds remaining sealed it.
The Hornets used a 16-2 run to open the second quarter for a 43-33 lead after a jumper by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. However, the Lakers responded with a 13-3 spurt to tie the score at 46 on a bucket inside by Randle.
Charlotte led 58-55 at halftime.
The Hornets made 16 of 39 (41 percent) from long distance compared to 12 of 32 (37.5 percent) for the Lakers.
Charlotte center Cody Zeller returned to the lineup after missing six games with quad soreness. Zeller had six points and five rebounds in 18 minutes.
NOTES: The losses have taken their toll on Luke Walton, but despite some sleepless nights, the first-year Lakers coach said he remains excited about the future. "I just remind myself of the big picture and what a great job this is and getting to work with these young guys," Walton said. ... The ability to defend is why the Lakers called up G/F David Nwaba from the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League, Walton said. Nwaba made his Lakers debut, playing a scoreless five minutes. ... Lakers F Thomas Robinson missed the game due to the flu. ... Hornets C Miles Plumlee (right calf strain) sat out his fifth consecutive game. ... In the teams' previous meeting, the Hornets earned a 117-113 win over the Lakers on Dec. 20 at Charlotte. ... Charlotte visits the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. ... Los Angeles hosts the Boston Celtics on Friday.