Los Angeles Lakers hold off New Orleans Hornets 100-86 for 2-1 series lead – NBA Play-offs Update
Kobe Bryant posted 30 points while Pau Gasol finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the second-seeded Los Angeles Lakers held off the New Orleans Hornets 100-86, to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven first-round play-off series.
Both teams will be gunning together again in New Orleans in Game 4 on Sunday.
Andrew Bynum ended with 14 points and 11 boards for the two-time defending champions Los Angeles. Lamar Odom notched 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Los Angeles’ Head Coach Phil Jackson said of Gasol after the game, “He is just too good a basketball player. He can shoot, he can handle the ball, and he can do a lot of things.”
Chris Paul finished with 22 points and eight assist while Carl Landry tallied 23 points for the Hornets, who have now lost two consecutive since beating Los Angeles in Game 1. Emeka Okafor led New Orleans with 15 points and Trevor Ariza scored 12 points
in the defeat.
The Lakers shot almost 49 percent and grabbed 14 offensive boards that helped produce 17 second-chance points. They had 13 turnovers that allowed the Hornets to take 17 points. However, Los Angeles forced New Orleans into 14 giveaways for 16 points.
"They've rebounded the ball well," New Orleans Head Coach Monty Williams said of Los Angeles. "We've forced stops and we are not able to get the rebound. The rebounding to a degree is about attitude and we just have to believe we can get those rebounds.
I think it will make our game a lot easier."
Gasol shot 7-of-13 and finished with 10 boards and 13 points in the fourth quarter, including seven points during a key surge.
Ron Artest and Bryant both drilled two three-pointers in the opening period to break a tie and give the Lakers a 16-10 lead.
Paul scored 18 of his points in the first half that kept the Hornets from getting their doors blown off and New Orleans cut its deficit to 30-23 heading into the second quarter. The Hornets were down by nine points, 51-42, at the break.
Paul said after the game, “They (Lakers) 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.”
Bryant had a couple of three-point plays early in the third quarter that gave the Lakers a double-digit advantage, but New Orleans stayed close and cut the gap to 75-68 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lakers went on a 10-1 run early in the fourth quarter and extended their lead to 14 points at 85-71 with less than nine minutes to play. Gasol had seven points during the run, which included a three-point play that gave Los Angeles 18 points lead down
the stretch.
The Lakers out-shot the Hornets 47-35 percent in the final quarter and outscored them 25-18 to secure the victory.
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