Hornets-Lakers Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Nov 07 2009 8:36PM

The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers have gone through the first week and a half of the season at less than full strength, relying on Kobe Bryant to carry the team.

The 11-time All-Star may be close to getting some help.

Seeking their fifth straight victory, the Lakers could have Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum back from injuries Sunday night against the sluggish New Orleans Hornets.

Gasol was instrumental to Los Angeles' championship run in 2008-09, averaging 18.9 points and 9.6 rebounds in 81 games, but has missed the team's first six contests this season because of a strained right hamstring. He has returned to practice and warmed up before Friday's 114-98 victory over Memphis but was inactive.

"I'm already frustrated," Gasol said. "This recovery has been slow for my taste. So right now I'm thinking about one day at a time and not getting ahead of myself."

Bynum also sat out Friday with a strained right elbow after averaging 20.0 points and 10.6 rebounds in five games. The injury is not considered serious, and he's expected to face New Orleans.

Last season, the 7-foot Spaniard teamed with the 7-foot Bynum to control the paint and open up the floor for Bryant.

So far this season, Bryant has been doing just fine.

He scored 41 points for the third time in four games Friday leading the Lakers (5-1) to a fourth straight victory. Bryant also became the youngest player to reach 24,000 points, reaching the milestone 38 days before Wilt Chamberlain, and overtook Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson for 16th place on the NBA's career scoring list.

Most of Bryant's baskets came on turnaround jumpers and inside moves against the undersized Memphis defenders in the low post, skills he learned from Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer.

"What can I say? This is a guy who sees a weakness in a team and exploits it," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of Bryant.

Los Angeles took three of four from the Hornets last season. The teams split two games at Staples Center despite Bryant scoring 39 in each.

New Orleans (2-4) could have trouble slowing down Bryant again. Coming off back-to-back playoff appearances, the Hornets are off their worst start since 2005-06.

Most of New Orleans' struggles have stemmed from a defense struggling to slow down its opponents.

The Hornets, fifth in the NBA in scoring defense in 2008-09 at 94.3 points, are yielding an average of 105.5 this season. It likely won't be easy for them to come up with key stops against a Lakers team averaging 109.0 points during their winning streak.

With the defense having trouble, Chris Paul has been doing his best to carry the team, but he struggled at times in Friday's 107-90 loss to Toronto.

New Orleans led by two at halftime, but was outscored 34-14 in the third quarter. Paul had a team-high 21 points - 7.5 below his season average - and season-high 18 assists, but did not score in the third, when the Raptors hit more 3-pointers (8) than the Hornets had field goals (6).

"I saw a lack of energy," New Orleans coach Byron Scott said. "For the life of me, I can't understand why we came out without any energy.''

The Hornets, winless in three games away from New Orleans, will have to quickly harness some energy with their next three games coming on the road.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Kobe, Lakers coast past out-of-sync Hornets

By Bryan Chu, for NBA.com
Posted Monday November 9, 2009 1:34AM

LOS ANGELES (NBA.com exclusive) -- There was no need for Kobe Bryant to go off for another 40 points.

And for the second game in a row, the Lakers didnt need their 7-footers, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, both still out with injuries.

The short-handed Lakers used a combination of Bryant and a strong bench performance to cruise to a 104-88 victory over the out-of-sync Hornets.

"Well, we had it a little easier tonight than I expected," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

Bryant had a lot to do with it, pacing all scorers with 28 points, 26 coming in the first half. The Lakers' bench scored 46 led by Shannon Brown's impressive third-quarter stretch when hit three 3-pointers. Brown ended up scoring 13 of his 15 in that period, which was part of a 17-3 run that ended with a DJ Mbenga putback to give the Lakers a 72-45 lead.

"I was particularly proud of Shannon coming off and taking [Derek] Fisher's spot after a couple of tough calls and getting into foul trouble," Jackson said. "[Shannon] was doing the things we see him do and we anticipate he can do."

Mbenga recorded his first career double-double (10 points and 12 rebounds) and also had four blocks for the second straight game.

On the other end, the Hornets struggled, especially in the third period.

New Orleans went scoreless for nearly six minutes until Peja Stojakovic converted a technical free throw. Chris Paul's layup at the 3:21 mark was New Orleans' first basket of the quarter, which ended a string of 10 straight misses.

"They beat us in all aspects of the game tonight," said Paul, who had eight assists in the first half, but was held to a team-high 15 points and nine assists.

As much as this was a win for the Lakers (6-1), who next play on Thursday at home against the Suns, the side story might be how far the Hornets (2-5) have fallen after being one of the top Western Conference teams a few seasons ago. New Orleans, which has two games remaining on its three-game road trip, is now 0-4 on the road.

"It's tough, it's tough," Paul said. "It's early in the season, but you definitely want to show signs of improvement. This is the toughest thing I've endured in a while. We can only get better. We cant get worse. We're missing our defense and ability to score. Like I keep saying, we're capable."

If there was a positive to take out of this loss, it was Emeka Okafor shaping into form. After missing training camp and preseason with a right toe injury, Okafor recorded his sixth double-double with 10 points and a season-high 14 rebounds.

The rest of the Hornets struggled, however.

David West has yet to consistently find the form that landed him on the All-Star team. He had 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting and pulled down four rebounds. Stojakovic, who had six points and was 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, still hasnt looked right even after coming off the bench because of a balky back.

Before the game, West said the team has struggled finding a rhythm this season. It showed early. New Orleans trailed by as many as 17 in the first half. Paul, who entered Sunday fifth in the league in scoring at 28.5, was confounded by the Lakers in the first quarter, behind held to two points and one assist.

While the bulk of the blame can rest on the Okafor-Tyson Chandler swap, New Orleans coach Byron Scott doesn't think that's been the source of the Hornets' struggle early on.

"It's been the whole team and team defense," said Scott before the game. "I said first of November it was going to be 2-4 weeks before these guys start coming together and understand what [they are doing] and that they'll be on the same page.

"I'm still hoping that's the case. I just have to get them to the point where they're not thinking so much and just playing, reacting. When we get to that point, we'll be fine."

Hornets guard Devin Brown earned his first start of the season because of his "aggressiveness on defense and Morris Peterson's inability to stay in front of his opponent and hit the open jumper," Scott said.

It didnt matter against Bryant.

After torching the Grizzlies' O.J. Mayo on Friday, Bryant attacked 6-foot-5 Brown early, ripping him at midcourt in the first eight seconds of the game for a layup. He scored 10 on Brown in the first quarter, including a beautiful, backdoor alley-oop from Derek Fisher. Bryant scored 14 of the team's first 23 points, and the Lakers ended on a 10-2 run to go up 27-17 at the end of the period.

"We're a better team than that," Brown said. "We're going to have to show that going into tomorrow [against the Clippers]."

"I'm not going to say guys are panicking, but guys are definitely starting to hold each other accountable," Brown said. "We need to start talking on defense, just building trust right now."

• Hornets: Diogu, Marks, Peterson
• Lakers: Gasol

• Hornets: --
• Lakers: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #74 Curtis Blair, #58 Zach Zarba
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:9

New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		Los Angeles Lakers (28-6)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Mbenga vs Okafor (Paul gains possession)
Brown Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Bryant (1 ST)	11:52
	11:47 [LAL 2-0]	Bryant Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Okafor Jump Shot: Missed	11:25
	11:23	Odom Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:10	Mbenga Layup Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:09
	10:51	Mbenga Foul : Personal (1 PF)
West Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Wright (1 AST)	10:43 [NOH 2-2]
	10:22 [LAL 5-2]	Odom 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Fisher (1 AST)
West Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Mbenga (1 ST)	10:03
	09:56	Fisher Pullup Jump shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	09:52
Brown Driving Layup Shot: Missed	09:47
Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	09:43
Okafor Tip Shot: Made (2 PTS)	09:43 [NOH 4-5]
	09:28 [LAL 7-4]	Bryant Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Artest (1 AST)
Paul Jump Shot: Missed	09:18
	09:17	Odom Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	09:06	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	09:05
West Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Paul (1 AST)	08:55 [NOH 6-7]
	08:30 [LAL 9-6]	Bryant Slam Dunk Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Fisher (2 AST)
Wright Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)	08:10
	07:55 [LAL 11-6]	Mbenga Jump Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Okafor Driving Layup Shot: Missed	07:38
	07:33	Odom Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	07:26 [LAL 13-6]	Fisher Pullup Jump shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Odom (1 AST)
West Jump Shot: Missed	07:06
	07:05	Mbenga Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	06:58	Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed
	06:58	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
West Foul : Personal (1 PF)	06:58
	06:49	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	06:49
West Jump Shot: Missed	06:29
Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	06:28
Okafor Layup Shot: Missed Block: Odom (1 BLK)	06:27
	06:25	Fisher Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	06:20	Odom Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
Paul Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	06:14 [NOH 8-13]
	06:02 [LAL 15-8]	Bryant Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Artest (2 AST)
Brown Floating Jump shot: Missed	05:44
	05:41	Artest Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	05:26	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	05:25
Okafor Driving Slam Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Brown (1 AST)	05:13 [NOH 10-15]
	04:49	Odom 3pt Shot: Missed
	04:48	Mbenga Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
Wright Foul : Personal (1 PF)	04:37
	04:37	Team Timeout : Regular
Wright Substitution replaced by Brown	04:37
Paul Substitution replaced by Stojakovic	04:37
Brown Foul : Personal (1 PF)	04:31
	04:21	Artest 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)	04:20
Brown Jump Shot: Missed	04:05
Okafor Rebound (Off:3 Def:4)	04:03
West Jump Shot: Missed	04:01
	03:59	Mbenga Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	03:50 [LAL 17-10]	Bryant Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Odom (2 AST)
Brown 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Stojakovic (1 AST)	03:26 [NOH 13-17]
	03:22	Bryant Foul : Offensive (1 PF)
	03:22	Bryant Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
Brown Substitution replaced by Posey	03:22
	03:22	Fisher Substitution replaced by Farmar
Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong	03:22
Brown Floating Jump shot: Made (2 PTS)	03:03 [NOH 15-17]
Armstrong Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	02:49
Team Timeout : Regular	02:49
	02:49	Mbenga Substitution replaced by Powell
	02:49 [LAL 18-15]	Odom Free Throw 1 of 2 (4 PTS)
	02:49 [LAL 19-15]	Odom Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
Stojakovic Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed	02:26
	02:24	Artest Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	02:15 [LAL 21-15]	Bryant Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Artest (3 AST)
West Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	02:01
Armstrong Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)	02:01
	02:01 [LAL 22-15]	Bryant Free Throw 1 of 2 (13 PTS)
	02:01 [LAL 23-15]	Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (14 PTS)
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed	01:46
	01:44	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
Brown Foul : Personal (2 PF)	01:37
	01:37 [LAL 24-15]	Farmar Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	01:37	Bryant Substitution replaced by Vujacic
	01:37 [LAL 25-15]	Farmar Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	01:24
Stojakovic Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	01:23
Stojakovic Reverse Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	01:22 [NOH 17-25]
	01:02	Powell Jump Shot: Missed Block: Stojakovic (1 BLK)
	01:00	Team Rebound
	00:54.9	Odom 3pt Shot: Missed
Stojakovic Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	00:52.9
	00:44.0	Farmar Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Brown Jump Shot: Missed	00:40.9
	00:38.9	Vujacic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	00:24.4 [LAL 27-17]	Artest Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Farmar (1 AST)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	00:02.2
	00:00.2	Powell Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
End of 1st Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		Los Angeles Lakers (28-6)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
	11:42 [LAL 30-17]	Vujacic 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS)
Songaila Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)	11:19
	10:54	Odom Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
	10:51	Vujacic Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	10:50	Vujacic Jump Shot: Missed
Songaila Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:48
Songaila Layup Shot: Missed	10:37
Armstrong Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	10:35
Armstrong Tip Shot: Missed	10:35
Armstrong Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	10:33
Songaila Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Armstrong (1 AST)	10:30 [NOH 19-30]
Posey Foul : Personal (1 PF)	10:16
Stojakovic Substitution replaced by Paul	10:16
	10:04	Walton Jump Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	10:04
	10:04	Powell Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)
Songaila Jump Shot: Missed	09:48
Armstrong Rebound (Off:3 Def:0)	09:47
Posey 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Paul (2 AST)	09:37 [NOH 22-30]
	09:10 [LAL 32-22]	Powell Slam Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Odom (3 AST)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	08:58
	08:58	Team Rebound
	08:58	Timeout : Official
Armstrong Substitution replaced by Okafor	08:58
	08:58	Odom Substitution replaced by Bryant
	08:58	Vujacic Substitution replaced by Mbenga
	08:43 [LAL 34-22]	Mbenga Jump Hook Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Farmar (2 AST)
Songaila Jump Shot: Missed	08:25
	08:24	Mbenga Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	08:08 [LAL 37-22]	Walton 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS)
Brown Layup Shot: Missed Block: Mbenga (1 BLK)	07:47
	07:45	Farmar Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	07:40	Farmar 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	07:40
Brown Substitution replaced by Brown	07:40
Paul Layup Shot: Missed	07:31
	07:28	Farmar Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	07:19 [LAL 39-22]	Bryant Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Farmar (3 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	07:15
	07:15	Farmar Substitution replaced by Brown
Brown 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Paul (3 AST)	07:07 [NOH 25-39]
	06:43 [LAL 41-25]	Walton Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS)
Okafor Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Walton (1 ST)	06:28
	06:19	Powell Jump Shot: Missed
Songaila Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	06:17
Posey 3pt Shot: Missed	06:11
	06:10	Mbenga Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	05:49	Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	05:49
	05:39	Brown Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Songaila Substitution replaced by West	05:39
	05:39	Powell Substitution replaced by Odom
	05:39	Walton Substitution replaced by Artest
Brown Pullup Bank shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Paul (4 AST)	05:24 [NOH 27-41]
Paul Foul : Personal (1 PF)	05:15
Posey Substitution replaced by Stojakovic	05:15
	05:04 [LAL 43-27]	Bryant Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (18 PTS)
Okafor Driving Slam Dunk Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Paul (5 AST)	04:48 [NOH 29-43]
	04:48	Mbenga Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Okafor Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed	04:48
	04:47	Mbenga Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
Stojakovic Foul : Personal (1 PF)	04:33
	04:28 [LAL 45-29]	Bryant Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (20 PTS) Assist: Odom (4 AST)
Paul Pullup Jump shot: Made (4 PTS)	04:14 [NOH 31-45]
	04:02	Mbenga Jump Shot: Missed
	04:02	Team Rebound
Brown Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)	04:02
	03:51	Artest 3pt Shot: Missed
Stojakovic Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	03:50
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed	03:43
Okafor Rebound (Off:4 Def:4)	03:42
Okafor Layup Shot: Missed	03:41
	03:40	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	03:32	Mbenga Jump Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:4 Def:5)	03:31
West Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Paul (6 AST)	03:22 [NOH 33-45]
	03:12	Team Timeout : Regular
	03:12	Mbenga Substitution replaced by Powell
	03:12	Brown Substitution replaced by Fisher
	03:03	Bryant Layup Shot: Missed
Paul Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	03:02
Odom Violation:Defensive Goaltending	02:58
Brown Driving Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Paul (7 AST)	02:58 [NOH 35-45]
	02:46	Bryant Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)
Okafor Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Paul (8 AST)	02:34 [NOH 37-45]
Brown Foul : Personal (2 PF)	02:25
	02:25 [LAL 46-37]	Bryant Free Throw 1 of 2 (21 PTS)
	02:25 [LAL 47-37]	Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (22 PTS)
	02:18	Bryant Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	02:14	Fisher Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	02:14
Team Rebound	02:14
Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)	02:14 [NOH 38-47]
	02:03 [LAL 49-38]	Bryant Turnaround Bank shot: Made (24 PTS) Assist: Odom (5 AST)
Okafor Hook Shot: Missed	01:48
	01:46	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	01:35	Powell Floating Jump shot: Missed
	01:35	Team Rebound
Paul Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)	01:35
	01:35	Artest Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	01:35	Team Rebound
	01:35 [LAL 50-38]	Artest Free Throw 2 of 2 (3 PTS)
Okafor Slam Dunk Shot: Made (10 PTS)	01:17 [NOH 40-50]
	00:54.3	Artest Jump Shot: Missed
	00:54.3	Team Rebound
Brown Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)	00:54.3
	00:54.3 [LAL 51-40]	Bryant Free Throw 1 of 2 (25 PTS)
Brown Substitution replaced by Posey	00:54.3
	00:54.3 [LAL 52-40]	Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (26 PTS)
	00:44.5	Fisher Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)	00:44.5 [NOH 41-52]
Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	00:44.5 [NOH 42-52]
	00:29.9	Fisher 3pt Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	00:27.8
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed	00:08.9
	00:07.9	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
	00:00.4 [LAL 55-42]	Fisher 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Artest (4 AST)
Instant Replay - Support Ruling	00:00.0
End of 2nd Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		Los Angeles Lakers (28-6)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
	11:42	Artest Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Paul (1 ST)
Wright Driving Layup Shot: Missed	11:36
Team Rebound	11:36
	11:36	Fisher Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)
West Jump Shot: Missed	11:24
	11:22	Fisher Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	11:04 [LAL 58-42]	Fisher 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Artest (5 AST)
Okafor Jump Shot: Missed	10:41
	10:40	Artest Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	10:22	Mbenga Layup Shot: Missed
	10:20	Mbenga Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)
	10:10 [LAL 60-42]	Artest Pullup Jump shot: Made (5 PTS)
	09:57	Fisher Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Paul Free Throw 1 of 3 (8 PTS)	09:57 [NOH 43-60]
	09:57	Fisher Substitution replaced by Brown
Paul Free Throw 2 of 3 (9 PTS)	09:57 [NOH 44-60]
Paul Free Throw 3 of 3 (10 PTS)	09:57 [NOH 45-60]
Brown Foul : Shooting (4 PF)	09:38
	09:38 [LAL 61-45]	Odom Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)
	09:38 [LAL 62-45]	Odom Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)
West Layup Shot: Missed Block: Odom (2 BLK)	09:23
	09:21	Artest Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	09:04 [LAL 65-45]	Brown 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Bryant (1 AST)
Wright Layup Shot: Missed	08:35
	08:34	Bryant Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	08:21	Brown Floating Jump shot: Missed
	08:19	Mbenga Rebound (Off:3 Def:5)
	08:17 [LAL 67-45]	Mbenga Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Paul Jump Shot: Missed	08:01
	08:00	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:8)
	07:49 [LAL 70-45]	Brown 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Odom (6 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	07:46
Okafor Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	07:30
Paul Foul : Personal (3 PF)	07:09
	07:02	Artest Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:West (1 ST)
West Jump Shot: Missed	06:55
	06:54	Artest Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
	06:46	Artest Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Brown Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	06:44
Wright Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO)	06:41
	06:22	Bryant Turnaround Fade Away shot: Missed
	06:20	Mbenga Rebound (Off:4 Def:5)
	06:20 [LAL 72-45]	Mbenga Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS)
Okafor Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	06:20
	06:20	Mbenga Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:4 Def:6)	06:18
	06:10	Brown Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Wright Substitution replaced by Posey	06:10
Brown Substitution replaced by Stojakovic	06:10
West Driving Dunk Shot: Missed Block: Mbenga (2 BLK)	05:55
Team Rebound	05:55
Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover	05:55
	05:40	Bryant Layup Shot: Missed Block: Okafor (1 BLK)
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	05:38
Okafor Foul : Offensive (2 PF)	05:29
Okafor Turnover : Foul (3 TO)	05:29
	05:13	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:4 Def:7)	05:12
Paul Pullup Jump shot: Missed	05:05
	05:02	Bryant Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	04:55	Odom Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:4 Def:8)	04:53
Posey 3pt Shot: Missed	04:48
	04:47	Artest Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)
	04:39	Brown 3pt Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	04:37
	04:25	Mbenga Foul : Personal (3 PF)
	04:25	Mbenga Substitution replaced by Powell
	04:19	Odom Foul : Defense 3 Second (0 PF)
Stojakovic Free Throw Technical (3 PTS)	04:19 [NOH 46-72]
	04:12	Odom Foul : Personal (1 PF)
West Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)	04:12 [NOH 47-72]
West Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)	04:12 [NOH 48-72]
	03:55	Odom 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:4 Def:9)	03:54
	03:50	Brown Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)	03:50 [NOH 49-72]
Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (12 PTS)	03:50 [NOH 50-72]
	03:35 [LAL 75-50]	Brown 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Artest (6 AST)
Paul Driving Layup Shot: Made (14 PTS)	03:21 [NOH 52-75]
	02:57	Bryant Turnover : Lost Ball (3 TO) Steal:Posey (1 ST)
Posey Layup Shot: Missed	02:51
Okafor Rebound (Off:5 Def:9)	02:50
Okafor Tip Shot: Missed	02:50
Posey Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	02:47
	02:41	Powell Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	02:41	Team Timeout : Regular
	02:41	Odom Substitution replaced by Walton
	02:41	Bryant Substitution replaced by Vujacic
Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 (15 PTS)	02:41 [NOH 53-75]
Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong	02:41
Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	02:41
	02:40	Artest Rebound (Off:0 Def:7)
	02:19 [LAL 77-53]	Brown Reverse Layup Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Powell (1 AST)
	02:02	Vujacic Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Posey Free Throw 1 of 2 (4 PTS)	02:02 [NOH 54-77]
Posey Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)	02:02 [NOH 55-77]
	01:39 [LAL 80-55]	Walton 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Artest (7 AST)
Paul 3pt Shot: Missed	01:25
	01:24	Artest Rebound (Off:0 Def:8)
Paul Foul : Personal (4 PF)	01:20
	01:15 [LAL 82-55]	Brown Driving Slam Dunk Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Walton (1 AST)
West Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Paul (9 AST)	01:01 [NOH 57-82]
	00:44.9	Powell Jump Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	00:43.9
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed	00:32.9
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	00:31.5
	00:31.5	Vujacic Foul : Personal (2 PF)
West Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)	00:31.5 [NOH 58-82]
West Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	00:31.5
	00:30.9	Walton Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	00:09.9	Powell Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Armstrong Rebound (Off:3 Def:1)	00:06.6
Posey 3pt Shot: Missed	00:01.2
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 3rd Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		Los Angeles Lakers (28-6)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
Songaila Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Armstrong (2 AST)	11:44 [NOH 60-82]
	11:23	Bryant Turnover : Step Out of Bounds Turnover (4 TO)
Armstrong Jump Shot: Missed	11:06
Songaila Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	11:05
Mbenga Violation:Defensive Goaltending	10:54
Posey Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Songaila (1 AST)	10:54 [NOH 62-82]
	10:36	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
	10:32	Farmar Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	10:30 [LAL 84-62]	Farmar Reverse Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)
	10:25	Bryant Foul : Personal (3 PF)
Brown Layup Shot: Missed	10:13
Songaila Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)	10:12
Songaila Tip Shot: Missed	10:12
	10:11	Team Rebound
Posey Foul : Personal (2 PF)	10:00
	09:47 [LAL 87-62]	Walton 3pt Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Brown (1 AST)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	09:24
	09:22	Mbenga Rebound (Off:4 Def:6)
	09:11	Bryant Turnover : Lost Ball (5 TO) Steal:Posey (2 ST)
Brown Driving Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Posey (1 AST)	09:07 [NOH 64-87]
	08:48	Walton 3pt Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	08:46
Songaila Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Armstrong (3 AST)	08:35 [NOH 66-87]
	08:14	Farmar Layup Shot: Missed
Brown Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	08:13
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Brown (1 AST)	08:07 [NOH 69-87]
	07:55 [LAL 89-69]	Bryant Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (28 PTS) Assist: Farmar (4 AST)
Posey Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Walton (2 ST)	07:31
	07:29 [LAL 91-69]	Brown Driving Slam Dunk Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Walton (2 AST)
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed	07:09
	07:07	Mbenga Rebound (Off:4 Def:7)
Posey Foul : Personal (3 PF)	06:58
	06:58	Timeout : Official
	06:58	Bryant Substitution replaced by Morrison
	06:54	Farmar 3pt Shot: Missed
Armstrong Rebound (Off:3 Def:2)	06:53
Brown Substitution replaced by Thornton	06:34
Stojakovic Substitution replaced by Collison	06:34
Collison Layup Shot: Missed Block: Mbenga (3 BLK)	06:29
	06:27	Morrison Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	06:20	Walton 3pt Shot: Missed
	06:19	Morrison Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	06:16	Morrison Jump Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	06:15
Songaila Hook Shot: Missed Block: Mbenga (4 BLK)	05:57
Posey Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)	05:52
Posey 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS)	05:51 [NOH 72-91]
	05:35	Farmar 3pt Shot: Missed
Armstrong Rebound (Off:3 Def:3)	05:34
Collison 3pt Shot: Missed	05:23
	05:21	Mbenga Rebound (Off:4 Def:8)
	05:10 [LAL 93-72]	Mbenga Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Brown (2 AST)
	04:55	Walton Foul : Personal (1 PF)
	04:55	Team Timeout : Regular
Posey Substitution replaced by Wright	04:55
	04:55	Mbenga Substitution replaced by Vujacic
	04:55	Brown Substitution replaced by Powell
Thornton 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Collison (1 AST)	04:47 [NOH 75-93]
Songaila Foul : Personal (1 PF)	04:27
	04:15	Vujacic Jump Shot: Missed
Collison Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	04:13
Wright Reverse Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Collison (2 AST)	04:09 [NOH 77-93]
	03:47 [LAL 95-77]	Morrison Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Thornton 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Collison (3 AST)	03:23 [NOH 80-95]
	02:54 [LAL 98-80]	Morrison 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Farmar (5 AST)
Songaila Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	02:41
Team Timeout : Regular	02:41
	02:33	Farmar Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Wright (1 ST)
Team Timeout : Short	02:32
Songaila Jump Shot: Missed	02:19
	02:18	Walton Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	02:06	Powell Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Armstrong (1 ST)
	02:03	Powell Foul : Personal (3 PF)
Thornton Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)	02:03 [NOH 81-98]
Thornton Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)	02:03 [NOH 82-98]
	01:46	Vujacic Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Collison (1 ST)
	01:43	Vujacic Foul : Flagrant Type 1 (3 PF)
Collison Free Throw Flagrant 2 of 2 (1 PTS)	01:43 [NOH 83-98]
Collison Free Throw Flagrant 1 of 1 (2 PTS)	01:43 [NOH 84-98]
Songaila Jump Shot: Missed Block: Powell (1 BLK)	01:30
Thornton Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	01:29
Thornton Tip Shot: Missed	01:29
	01:27	Powell Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Songaila Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	01:17
	01:17 [LAL 99-84]	Farmar Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
	01:17 [LAL 100-84]	Farmar Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS)
Collison Driving Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Songaila (2 AST)	01:09 [NOH 86-100]
	00:58.9	Morrison 3pt Shot: Missed
Songaila Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	00:57.9
Wright Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Farmar (1 ST)	00:52.9
	00:49.7 [LAL 103-86]	Vujacic 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Morrison (1 AST)
Armstrong Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	00:49.7
	00:49.7 [LAL 104-86]	Vujacic Free Throw 1 of 1 (7 PTS)
Thornton 3pt Shot: Missed	00:39.1
	00:35.4	Powell Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	00:26.9	Walton Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Songaila (1 ST)
Collison Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Songaila (3 AST)	00:23.6 [NOH 88-104]
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa		--	CST	Local	Final
		--	FSW-LAL	Local	Final