The Charlotte Bobcats pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season on Monday night as they cruised past the LA Lakers in a 109-89 victory at the Time Warner Cable Arena.
It was not so much the defeat that was surprising for the Lakers, who have been in a poor run of form, but the manner in which it came.
Missed shots and poor defense cost LA dearly and after taking the lead in the first quarter, the Bobcats never looked back.
The Bobcats may be the newest team in the NBA but they have an impressive record against the stars from LA, winning eight of their last 10 games between the two sides.
Much of Charlotte’s success against the defending NBA champions has come from neutralizing the threat that is Kobe Bryant, and they did that again on Monday.
Bryant did manage to net 20 points for his team, however he struggled to dictate the game like he can do, and therefore the Lakers never had control of the scoreboard and anyone following the goalwire live scores would have realized this.
The 32-year-old missed 11 of his first 16 shots in the match and after the game he avoided the press, heading straight for the team coach.
From the Bobcats point of view they played another impressive game and Wallace was delighted to pick up yet another win against the Lakers.
“We get up and run up and down the floor. We’re able to control their bigs and control Kobe for the most parts of the game. I think that’s what helps us out a lot in this matchup.”
LA will be determined to put in a good performance on Wednesday, as they are again on the road to face the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have only one nine out of their 55 games this season.
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