Kobe Bryant helps Los Angeles Lakers beat New Orleans Hornets 100-86: NBA Playoff Recap
The Los Angeles Lakers got back to winning ways with a comfortable 100-86 win over the New Orleans Hornets in the third game of their best-of-seven first round playoff series at the New Orleans Arena on Friday night.
The result meant that two-time defending National Basketball Association (NBA) champions, Los Angeles, took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final series.
Kobe Bryant was the real hero for the Lakers, as he made some important shots on his way to a game-high 30 points. Forward-centre Pau Gasol played a very effective game as he finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Los Angeles.
The 30-year-old Gasol was pleased with his performance on the night. He told reporters, "It was just about playing my game and being assertive and being comfortable out there. Do not try to over think it. Do not try to think about the last play. Just try
to make the right play. It was a much better game on my part."
Centre Andrew Bynum continued his amazing form, scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds in the victory for Los Angeles, who finished the regular season with a 57-25 record. Forward Lamar Odom had 13 points while guard Derek Fisher racked up 10 points and five
assists for the Pacific Division Champions.
Carl Landry added 23 points and five rebounds while Chris Paul ended with 22 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the defeat for New Orleans. Emeka Okafor posted 15 points and eight rebounds while Trevor Ariza played an effective game with 12 points,
12 rebounds and four steals for the Hornets.
Match Analysis
The 25-year-old New Orleans guard, Ariza, was kept busy all night by the Lakers offence. However, his primary duty was to slow down Kobe Bryant, who can give any of the big teams a tough time on the court. That is what exactly happened. Bryant bounced back
from his season-low 11 points in the previous game and played a brilliant game.
The second-seeded Lakers as a team had an outstanding night on the defensive end, holding the Hornets to just 38 percent shooting in the first quarter, and taking a 30-23 lead into the second. The Lakers got off to a strong start in the second quarter courtesy
Bryant’s 15-point first half, and extended their lead to 51-42 at half time.
Trailing by nine points in the first half, New Orleans recovered from their poor shooting display, and limited Los Angeles to 24 points in the third quarter. However, the Lakers managed to carry a 75-68 advantage into the final stanza.
The Lakers were unstoppable throughout the fourth quarter as they outplayed the Hornets 25-18 to walk away with their second win of the series.
New Orleans guard Gasol praised the Lakers combined team effort on the night. He said, "They just had a collective effort tonight. Everybody pitched in and that's what we really can't let them do. ... We fought. We played a great first half. It's just, in
the second half it got away from us."
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