Swamigp’s Weblog

Kobe Bryant scored 29 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 8 assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a tough victory over the New Orleans Hornets 107-104. The Lakers led by as much as 30 points, 63-33, on a jumper by Kobe Bryant late in the first half only to see the Hornets make a huge comeback.

The Hornets chipped away at the lead throughout the third quarter, making it a 7 point game, 82-75 going into the final period. Chris Paul’s 15 points, 17 assists and 4 steals weren’t enough ot lead his team all the way back. He was the facilitator in the third quarter as he assisted on a majority of the baskets to help his team get back in the game. Peja Stojakovic’s three pointer with just under 4 minutes left cut the lead to one, 96-95. The Lakers answered Peja’s three with a 6-0 run over the next 2 1/2 minutes to take a 102-95 lead. The Hornets couldn’t get any closer than the final score as the Lakers learned their lesson, this time holding their lead. Peja led New Orleans in scoring with 24 points, hitting 6 threes in the process.  Tyson Chandler made all 8 of his shots and finished with 18 points of his own, but struggled with foul trouble throughout the game. Chris Paul only committed 3 turnovers to up his assist/ turnover ratio to 4.6.

Besides clinching the Pacific division title, Los Angeles moved within a half game of New Orleans for the top seed in the Western Conference.  Pau Gasol scored 25 points behind Bryant’s performance and Derek Fisher added 15 points and 6 assists.