On January 29, Beijing time, the Lakers fell short and missed the 20-point reversal. However, in this game, Wei Shao shot 12 of 23 and had 35 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds, including 30 points in the second half and 16 points in the final quarter.
In this game, James and Thick Brow were both sidelined due to injury, Old Zhan had fluid accumulation and swelling in his knees, and Thick Brow sprained his wrist. Wei Shao single-core led the team, and many of them pinched a cold sweat for the Lakers.
The Lakers' opening trend verifies the expectations of the outside world. The Hornets started with a wave of 23-8, and the Lakers started with just 1 of 12 starts in the entire first quarter, and only 1 athletic goal in the first quarter of the game, which was the worst in the league this season. In the first half, the Lakers were still 16 points behind. Throughout the first half, Westbrook scored 5 points, 3 boards and 2 assists, plus or minus -27, equaling the worst half-time plus-minus of his personal career.
The Lakers were once behind by as many as 20 points, but Westbrook exploded in the second half, and throughout the third quarter he was 5-of-10, 2-of-3 from three-pointers, 3-of-3 from the free throws, 14 points and 3 assists, and +14 plus-minus in the quarter.
The Lakers also filled in a 20-point pit. In the fourth quarter, the Hornets reopened the points gap, and in the final 2 minutes of the game, Westbrook broke out again. He scored consecutive layups, and then, two three-pointers at 45 degrees left and right, the Lakers chased only 3 points. Jordan, who watched the game in the home box, was frightened by this ups and downs of the plot and opened his mouth to believe it.
Wei Shao's crazy performance in the second half triggered praise from the Lakers. Magic Johnson tweeted, "Westbrook played the best performance of the Lakers' career." 35 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds, only 1 turnover in the whole game. Lakers coach Vogel was also praised after the game, and Westbrook's performance in the second half was too shocking.
Westbrook also responded to his performance in the second half, "When the team needs me, I can still do it. Unfortunately we didn't win the game. Speaking about missing three-pointers, Westbrook said he felt his rhythm was good at the time, "I shot two (three-pointers) in front of me. The last goal, either win or go home. He said he didn't want to add time to the second back-to-back game. However, Wei Shao also said that the tenacity shown by the team in this battle is a good signal for them.
In fact, after the final whistle, James walked over to Westbrook, and the two kept talking and walked back to the locker room. This scene also made people understand a little, Old Zhan's support for Wei Shao.