The game started, and Tony Delk, filled with anger, dribbled the ball and drove straight at Heximon. Heximon, naturally unwilling to let up, stuck close to Tony Delk all the way to the basket. The moment Tony Delk shot, Kobe, seizing the opportunity, flew in from the side and blocked Tony Delk's shot.
Heximon had already seen Kobe's movements, so while delaying Tony Delk, he gave him space for a fadeaway jumper. As soon as Kobe flew in to block, Heximon began to move, anticipating where Kobe's block would land. After securing the ball, he quickly pushed for a fast break.
Tony Delk chased hard, trying to interfere with Heximon's layup. However, Heximon didn't shoot at all. Instead, after drawing the Hornets' defensive attention, he threw a high lob pass to the other side of the rim!
On the weak side, Kobe had already charged in ferociously. He leaped into the air, caught the lob with both hands over Tony Delk's head, and slammed it into the hoop!
The twin stars on the Lakers' bench seemed to be letting down the audience if they didn't contribute one or two exciting and exquisite plays each game.
Tony Delk was blocked by Kobe on offense and dunked over by Kobe on defense. Heximon hadn't done much to him, but Kobe had already overwhelmed him.
Turning around, Tony Delk wanted to hit the Lakers with a three-pointer, but under Heximon's interference, the shot bounced off the rim.
Malik Rose grabbed the offensive rebound and went up for a second-chance shot, but still missed despite Corey Blount's interference.
Kobe drove in to grab the defensive rebound and immediately passed to Heximon.
Tony Delk charged in from the side, intending to play dirty. But having suffered at the hands of Oakley in the last game, being battered and bruised by that brute, Heximon was extremely cautious this game!
Facing Tony Delk, who charged like a miniature bull, Heximon executed a sharp stop and spin move to evade Tony Delk's collision. Then, he accelerated with his left hand, elbowed Tony Delk to the side as he turned, and secretly added a bit of force with his right elbow, bringing Tony Delk down to the ground.
Tony Delk let out a loud yell, trying to get the referee's attention. However, with his vicious move earlier and Heximon's desperate evasion afterward, the brief contact as they passed each other was too unclear for the referee to see.
Therefore, the referee chose to ignore the play.
Without Tony Delk's interference, Heximon calmly advanced to the three-point line, ignored Kobe catching up behind him, pulled up, and accurately hit a three-pointer!
Kobe looked at Heximon with a plaintive expression: "Hey, man, I was right behind you. You could have waited for me."
"I know!" Heximon said, shaking his head. "But this time, I just didn't want to wait."
"Is it because of that number 0 kid?"
The Hornets' number 0 was Tony Delk.
"Isn't it? That kid seemed like he wanted to play dirty."
"Damn it!" Kobe couldn't help but curse. "The people I despise the most are those fools who can't compete with skill and resort to dirty tricks."
"Are you sure it's not because he affected your scoring?"
"Of course, that reason is even more unforgivable."
During the subsequent rotation, from the end of the first quarter to the beginning of the second, Heximon and Kobe teamed up to thoroughly dominate Tony Delk!
Malik Rose, another rookie from the '96 draft class, saw the situation was bad and kept a safe distance from the trouble, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
Thanks to the strong performance from the bench, by the middle of the second quarter, when the Lakers' starting lineup began to return, the Lakers had successfully taken a six-point lead over the Hornets!
Coach Harris immediately found the key to winning this game!
As long as the Lakers' starting lineup didn't dig themselves into a hole, the bench could handle the winning work!
Thus, Heximon, Kobe, and Corey Blount were given more playing time. Consequently, another Lakers rookie from '96, Nate, also got five minutes of playing time in this game, recording his first career rebound and his first career dunk, which was, of course, from a brilliant assist by Heximon!
Ultimately, in this tough back-to-back road game, thanks to the excellent play of the bench, the Lakers defeated the Hornets 88:78, extending their winning streak to four games.
Kobe set a new personal record for playing time in this game, reaching an unprecedented 12 minutes. He took five shots, making four, including one three-pointer, and recorded 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, with his all-around skills gradually being showcased.
Heximon's playing time was slightly more than Kobe's because Harris still had to ensure veteran Scott's minutes. Due to Kobe's increased playing time, Scott's minutes had been reduced from an average of 20 to under 15 minutes. His average shot attempts were also compressed from eight to about five, and in this game, he only managed a meager three.
The shooting opportunities that Scott lost were redistributed to Heximon and Kobe.
Scott was on the verge of tears but helpless.
On one side was a veteran nearing retirement, likely in his last season.
On the other side were the future of the Lakers, rising purple and gold stars. Unless Harris was completely out of his mind, he wouldn't abandon developing the twin stars to let Scott, an aging veteran, pad his stats.
Heximon's playing time in this game surpassed Scott's for the first time, reaching 20 minutes, making him the player with the longest playing time on the bench.
In terms of personal statistics, Heximon's shooting touch was as stable as ever today. He took six shots and made four, all of which were three-pointers!
With Kobe, an electric motor, constantly running and attacking the Hornets' basket, Heximon didn't bother to venture into the paint.
Heximon's final statistics were 12 points, 6 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block, and 1 turnover.
The combined 21 points from the Lakers' twin stars were equivalent to a core starter like O'Neal!
O'Neal scored 22 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, and 4 turnovers in the first half. Compared to the previous three games, O'Neal's stats had declined in various aspects, with the only increase being his turnovers.
From the final statistics, it was evident that O'Neal was indeed a bit fatigued.
However, fortunately, O'Neal still held a decisive advantage over his opponent, Divac.
Divac, possibly due to injury, was suppressed by O'Neal and Campbell throughout the game, playing only 17 minutes, shooting 0 for 2, and scoring no points, showing a strange state.
After the game, Heximon proactively approached the still-young Old Curry and expressed his admiration.