LA Lakers squeezed out a win today against Charlotte, 96-87. Both teams came out of the gates strong but a late game push by LA Lakers was just enough to hold off Charlotte. Coach Andreas Helmle said, "This game is really a sign of things to come. We come out and play hard every night. Things are looking up, and the fans of LA Lakers have a lot to look forward to after this victory."

In the Charlotte locker room after the game, players were in a somber mood. Even after the great team performance led by Bailey, they still come up short. "We deserved to win. That was our game - we just need to be able to put our opposition away when we have them down. We really were the better team." said Bailey after the game.

LA Lakers was led by Richardson (16 points, 22 boards, 1 assists, a steal, 2 blocks), Perry (10 points, 9 assists, 3 steals), Dixson (10 points, 2 steals, a block). Charlotte was led by Bailey (7 points, 21 boards, 0 assists, a steal, 4 blocks), Cullum (18 points, 4 assists, a steal, a block), Meadows (13 points, 2 assists, 3 blocks).

LA Lakers jump to 32-14 and 15-8 at home. They stay at #3 in the Pacific and stay at #5 overall in the Western Conference. Charlotte are now 33-15 after this defeat. They hold at #2 in the Southeast and stay at #4 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score LA Lakers* roster Charlotte roster