Gameday: Lakers 93, Hornets 91

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Gasol leads Lakers past Hornets, 93-91

By BRETT MARTEL

Posted Apr 09 2012 8:00PM

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Pau Gasol had 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Kobe Bryant's absence to beat the New Orleans Hornets, 93-91 on Monday night.

Bryant missed his second straight game with a sore left shin, but Ramon Sessions helped pick up the slack with 17 points, including a 3-pointer that put the Lakers ahead by six with 26 seconds left. Andrew Bynum added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who snapped a two-game skid.

Carl Landry had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Marco Belinelli scored 20 points for New Orleans, which led by as much as eight points in the fourth quarter, before the Lakers stormed back.

Greivis Vasquez added 18 points and 11 assists for the Hornets, hitting a career-high five 3-pointers on six attempts.

Chris Kaman had 16 points and five blocked shots, but committed his fifth foul with 6:04 left and had to sit for nearly four crucial minutes as New Orleans lost to the Lakers by six or fewer points for the third time in three meetings.

Gasol and Bynum helped the Lakers control the paint, as Los Angeles outscored New Orleans 42-28 inside and outrebounded the Hornets 46-35.

New Orleans stayed closed thanks in part to 9 of 15 shooting from deep, with Belinelli hitting four 3s.

After trailing by as much as nine points in the second quarter, the Hornets surged ahead by nine in the third period after a 12-4 run that included a 3 by Vasquez and a three-point play by Al-Farouq Aminu on a driving layup.

The lead was still at nine after Jason Smith's floater late in the third quarter, but the Lakers quickly cut it to 72-68 on Sessions' driving layup shortly before the end of the period and Metta World Peace's 3 to open the fourth.

The Hornets did not wilt right away as they often have this season, thanks to Belinelli, who scored seven straight Hornets points on a bail-out jumper at the shot clock buzzer, a double-pump jumper and a 29-foot 3 late in the shot clock to make it 79-71.

Soon after, a rare sellout crowd was chanting: "Beat L.A!"

That was right about the time the Hornets started missing shots and the Lakers stormed back.

Steve Blake drained a 3 from the corner and sank an off-balance floater off the glass during a 15-2 run that also included two inside buckets by Bynum. World Peace's 3 put Los Angeles back in front 89-86 with 1:31 left, then Sessions added a 3 to make it 92-86, and New Orleans could not quite recover, despite World Peace nearly turning the ball over with a long inbound pass to the Lakers' back court with 1.2 seconds left. Smith got his hand on the pass but could not corral it.

Gasol had 15 points in the first half, when the Lakers led by as much as nine on Troy Murphy's jumper that made it 40-31. Vasquez then hit the first of his 3-pointers and Kaman followed with a jumper, igniting a 12-2 run that included a second 3 by Vasquez and Kaman's jumper, The surge briefly put the Hornets in the lead before Gasol's jumper, which beat the halftime horn, put the Lakers back in front 44-43.

Notes: Hornets G Eric Gordon was out with back stiffness that had lingered since New Orleans' previous game. ... The Hornets used their NBA-high 23rd different starting lineup this season. Aminu started along with Kaman, Smith, Belinelli and Vasquez. Trevor Ariza did not play because of what Hornets coach Monty Williams described as a move to get more playing time for younger players like Aminu and Lance Thomas. ... Devin Ebanks started at point guard with Bryant on the bench in a dark suit. Ebanks finished with six points in 26 minutes. ... Saints general manager Mickey Loomis sat on the baseline near the Hornets' bench. Earlier in the day, his eight-game suspension was upheld in on appeal by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in connection with the Saints' bounty scandal. ... Sitting across from Loomis on the other baseline was actor Christoph Waltz, who plays a German bounty hunter in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," which currently filming in New Orleans. Leonardo DiCaprio, who also stars in the film, sat in courtside seats. ... Announced attendance was 17, 275, the fourth sellout of the season.

Copyright 2012 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

Lakers take on the New Orleans Hornets Saturday, March 31st at Staples Center at 12:30PM. Catch all the action on Fox Sports West, NBA TV, and 710ESPN.

POSTGAME QUOTESMike Brown:

(On the win) “I thought that our composure was there, which was fun to watch our guys have (tonight). Throughout the course of the game, I thought we made big play after big play. I thought, having our composure, (that) the tempo was there. Having (the Hornets) at 91 points is more our speed or more in our favor when it gets there. We had big play after big play after big play. Matt (Barnes) had a three in the corner late in the game. That was the right shot. Metta (Peace) had a three off the bench at the top of the floor that I thought (was big). Steve Blake’s (play) was huge. I thought that Steve played very well the entire game. The play of the game, in my opinion, was the steal by Matt Barnes with 1.2 seconds to go. If he wouldn’t have stolen that, we might have lost.”

(On Steve Blake) “I thought that his aggressive play on both sides of the floor (was great). I thought that he was aggressive offensively. I thought that he was aggressive defensively. He came up with some big shots down the stretch, too. I thought that his aggressive play was a factor (tonight).”

Steve Blake:

(On his key shot in the lane): “I think Drew (Bynum) had a double team in the post and it was a kick out with a swing. I felt that they were closing out hard and I just wanted to drive the close out and I was able to get down and get a nice little runner out of it.”

(On the win): “We just stayed the course. We kept getting the ball inside and making good reads. We knocked down our shots. They hit a lot of tough shots on us when we were playing good (defense). You have to give them a lot of credit for that. We stayed the course, got the ball inside and played good (defense). I needed that win. It felt good to feel what it is like to play good again, make some shots, and just be out on the court longer. I was happy tonight and I hope to build on it.”

Metta World Peace:

(On the win): “It was the offense. It was the tempo, you know. (It was) our tempo. We missed some shots, okay. We had a couple of turnovers, alright. Stay with our tempo. Don’t panic. That was all point guards. Our point guards did an excellent job. That’s why they had no fast break points. It wasn’t the defense. It was the offense.”

(On the last play of the game): “I’m a math major. Jason (Smith) was not getting that ball. 1.3 seconds. I’m a math major. It’s an easy calculation. Matt (Barnes) was going to get the ball no matter what.”

Monty Williams:

(On last play of the game): “We have to check the substitution on that play. I don’t think Matt Barnes was supposed to be in the game. Coaches in the locker room were saying he was just standing down there and jumped on the floor. Jason was confused on who he was supposed to guard. Metta (World Peace) throws the ball and for a split second Jason took his eye off the ball. But you are not expecting that kind of pass. It is certainly not Jason’s fault. I thought Metta made a bad pass and it just worked out for them.”

(On fourth quarter): “We just didn’t have what we have been talking about, the closer down the stretch. I thought our guys did a decent job. They hit some tough three’s. Some of those shots were contested. If they missed those shots in their film sessions, they probably would say those were bad shots. I thought we had some questionable decisions down the stretch. I think as Greivis (Vasquez) learns to play the point guard position, I have talked about swinging for singles instead of home runs. Chris (Kaman) had a tough shot at the basket where he got blocked. Chris was about as efficient as he can be. He just got in some foul trouble. I thought our guys played really well tonight. We just gave up a twenty-eight fourth quarter.

Jason Smith:

(On the final play): “I was looking for the fifth guy on the floor. Ron Artest (Metta World Peace) was really adamant about trying to get the ball in quick. I couldn’t find that fifth guy, but I knew they were doing something tricky. They ran that play, and I don’t even know who was in the corner, but he was just hiding over there. They didn’t get the ball in because they didn’t know who was on the floor. I thought they were going to throw it up, so I was going to wait for him to react, and he just rolled it out there. I didn’t see anything. I heard the crowd, so I thought it was in the air, but it was just rolling right in front of me, and he had gotten a step on me. I just couldn’t get there quick enough.”

(On if he was surprised by the strategy on the final play): “It was a smart play. There were only 1.2 seconds left on the clock, so as soon as they touch the ball, it’s hard to foul in that situation. It was a smart play on their part.”

(On how they’ve played the Lakers recently): “We always play good with them. We keep it close. We have a lead, and we let the lead go. It’s a disappointing loss. We had a lot of guys play well, but we still didn’t come out with a win.”

SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS
The Lakers lead the three-game season series with New Orleans 2-0 after sweeping last
season’s series with the Hornets 4-0. The Lakers have taken each of the last three season
series with the Hornets and last lost a season series to New Orleans in 2006-07 (1-2). The
Lakers are 9-1 in their last 10 games against the Hornets including the last six straight. The
Lakers are 7-3 in their last 10 home games against the Hornets and are 15-4 all-time against
the Hornets at STAPLES Center in the regular season. Since the Hornets move to New
Orleans from Charlotte prior to the 2002-03 season, the Lakers have gone 10-3 at New
Orleans Arena while going 0-2 at Ford Center in Oklahoma City during their temporary
relocation from 2005-07. In 2006, the Lakers and Hornets took part in the city of New
Orleans first professional sports game following Hurricane Katrina when they met at the New
Orleans Arena March 8, 2006. The Lakers won that contest 113-107 behind 40 points from
Kobe Bryant. In 2006-07, Bryant scored a series record 50 points 3/23/07, becoming just
the second player in NBA history to score 50+ points in four consecutive games. In their
most recent meeting 3/31/12, Kobe Bryant missed 15 consecutive field goals (the most
consecutive misses of his career) before rebounding for 11 fourth quarter points including
the go-ahead three-pointer with 20.2 seconds remaining to give the Lakers an 88-85 victory
over the Hornets. In 42 games (38 starts) against New Orleans, Bryant is averaging 25.4
points. Hornets forward Trevor Ariza played 106 regular season games with Los Angeles
from 2007-09, averaging 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.54 steals during his
Lakers career while helping the team to the 2009 NBA Championship. Ariza played his
prep basketball locally at Westchester HS and collegiately at UCLA. The Lakers and
Hornets met for the first time in the playoffs last season, with Los Angeles taking the
2011 First Round series 4-2.

LAKERS FORCE FRANCHISE-LOW THREE TURNOVERS
By forcing just three turnovers in a 125-105 loss at Phoenix on April 7, the Lakers saw the Suns set an opponent franchise record for fewest turnovers in a game. The
previous franchise-low of four opponent turnovers was originally established in a 108-114 loss 12/21/01 at Memphis, but was matched three times this season, with the
Lakers forcing four turnovers January 5 at Portland (96-107, loss), January 29 at Minnesota (106-101, win) and February 6 at Philadelphia (90-95, loss). Leaguwide, the
last time a team committed 3 turnovers or less came on back on 4/3/10, when the Pistons committed three turnovers at Atlanta.

DYNAMIC DUO
In the Lakers 113-108 victory over the Clippers on April 4, Andrew Bynum scored 36 points on 13-of-20 shooting (.650) and Kobe Bryant scored 31 points on 13-of-19
shooting (.684). Since 1990, the only other pair of Lakers teammates to each score 30-plus points while shooting at least 65% from the field were Bryant (35 points on 11-
of-16 shooting ((.688)) and Shaquille O’Neal (31 points on 15-of-23 shooting (.652)) back on February 18, 2004 in a 100-99 Lakers victory at Golden State. *

40-POINT GAMES
With 40 points April 1 vs. Golden State, Kobe Bryant scored 40+ points for the fifth time this season and 112th time (regular season) in his NBA career. With 42 points
January 14 in an away game against the Clippers, Kobe Bryant scored 40+ points for the fourth consecutive game. Bryant’s 40+ point games this season came 1/10 vs.
Phoenix (48),1/11 at Utah (40), 1/13 vs. Cleveland (42), 1/14 @ LA Clippers (42) and 4/1 vs. Golden State (40). In the history of the NBA, only two players have more
career 40-point games: Wilt Chamberlain (271) and Michael Jordan (173). The Lakers are now 77-35 all-time in games that Bryant scores 40+ points. Bryant holds the
Lakers franchise record for 40-point games in a season, recording 27 during the 2005-06 campaign. Bryant also holds the franchise record for most consecutive 40-point
games (9), established during the 2002-03 season. Only Wilt Chamberlain (14 twice, 10 once) has had longer consecutive 40-point game streaks in NBA history than
Bryant.

BRYANT FOUR STEALS SHY OF MAGIC JOHNSON’S FRANCHISE RECORD
Entering Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets, Kobe Bryant (1,720) stands four steals shy of Magic Johnson’s franchise record 1,724 steals. Johnson, who twice
led the league in steals (1980-81, 1981-82) and posted the third highest single-season steals per game average in NBA history during the 1980-81 season (3.43 spg),
ranks 15th on the NBA’s career steals list. Isiah Thomas (14
th
/1,861) and Derek Harper (13
th
/1,957) are next on the all-time list.

MARCHING ON
With 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Lakers victory over the New Orleans Hornets, Andrew Bynum concluded March averaging 22.2 points and 10.9 rebounds in 17
contests during the month. This was the 30
th
time in his NBA career that Bynum has played at least five games in a month, but the first where he has averaged at least 20
points per game;his previous high coming in November of 2009 when he averaged 18.0 points in 12 games.*

SATURDAY SCHEDULING QUIRK
In facing the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday, March 31 at STAPLES Center, the Lakers will be playing for the 10th time at home in the regular season on a Saturday
since the start of the 1998-99 lockout shortened season. The game also marks the first non-holiday regular season home game on a Saturday for the Lakers since
defeating the Los Angeles Clippers back on January 17, 2004. The Lakers two most recent Saturday home games fell on Christmas day, with Los Angeles facing the
Miami Heat on 12/25/04 and again on 12/25/10. In all, the Lakers have gone 4-5 in Saturday home games since the start of the 1998-99 season. (4/3/99 vs. GS (76-81, L),
12/25/99 vs. SA (99-93, W), 1/22/00 vs. POR (91-95, L), 4/8/00 vs. SA (80-98, L), 12/1/01 vs. MIN (102-76, W), 2/1/03 vs. UTAH (99-87, W), 1/17/04 vs. LAC (91-89, W),
12/25/04 vs. MIA (102-104, L), 12/25/10 vs. MIA (80-96, L)).

BYNUM ON A ROLL
With 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 25th, Andrew Bynum recorded his fifth career 30+ point game and fourth of the 2011-12
season. Excluding Kobe Bryant, only Pau Gasol has had more 30+ point games in a single season (6, 2008-09) for the Lakers since the start of the 2004-05 season than
Bynum. Bynum’s other 30+ point games include: 33 points (12-of-14 FG (85.7 percent), 9-of-12 FT) against the Utah Jazz on March 18th; 37 points in a double overtime
victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on March 13th on 15-of-18 shooting from the field (83.3 percent) - marking just the fourth time in Lakers history that a player has scored
at least 37 points on better than 83 percent shooting (last Laker to accomplish this was Shaquille O’Neal, who did so back on November 19, 1999 in a victory over the
Bulls); and 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting March 6th in Detroit against the Pistons.

BRYANT 24 POINTS SHY OF MICHAEL JORDAN FOR 2ND ON NBA FRANCHISE CAREER POINTS LIST
During the 2009-10 season, with his 29th point on February 1, 2010 at Memphis, Kobe Bryant surpassed Jerry West as the Lakers all-time leading scorer. In the history of
the NBA, only two players have scored more points with a single franchise than Bryant (29,253): Karl Malone (1st/36,374) and Michael Jordan (2nd/29,277). Last season,
Bryant moved past Hakeem Olajuwon (26,511) 12/19/10 at Toronto and John Havlicek (26,395) 12/10/10 at Chicago into third on this list.

SESSIONS MAKES GOOD IMPRESSION IN FIRST START WITH LAKERS
In his first start as a Laker, Ramon Sessions posted 20 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3FG), 11 assists and six rebounds in 36 minutes to help the Lakers to a 103-96 victory over the
Portland Trail Blazers on March 23. In doing so, Sessions became the first Lakers point guard to post a 20-point/10-assist game since Chucky Atkins tallied 26 points and
10 rebounds in a 105-101 victory over Golden State back on January 21, 2005. Furthermore, Sessions is the first mid-season acquisition with a 20-point/10-assist game for
the Lakers since Lucius Allen had three such games after he was traded by Milwaukee to Los Angeles during the 1974-75 season.

ANDREW BYNUM NAMED WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On March 19, the NBA announced that Andrew Bynum had earned Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 12 through Sunday, March
18, giving him the SECOND WC Player of the Week award of his career. Bynum led the Lakers to a 3-1 week, including back-to-back road wins against Memphis and New
Orleans and a home victory against Minnesota. Averaging 27.5 points and 14.8 rebounds, while shooting 66.5% from the field, Bynum led the Western Conference in
rebounding, placed second in the conference in scoring and finished fourth in the West in field-goal percentage on the week. Bynum collected point-rebound doubledoubles in all four of the Lakers games, including 37 points (15-18 FG) and 16 rebounds 3/13 @ Memphis, 25 points and 19 rebounds 3/14 @ New Orleans and 33 points
(12-14 FG) and 11 rebounds 3/18 vs. Utah. Bynum’s first career WC Player of the Week award was earned back on January 26, 2009, when Bynum averaged 23.5 points,
11.5 rebounds and 2.25 blocks in helping lead the Lakers to a 4-0 week from 1/19/09 to 1/25/09.

BYNUM ON A ROLL
With 33 points (12-of-14 FG (85.7 percent), 9-of-12 FT) against the Utah Jazz on March 18th, Andrew Bynum recorded his fourth career 30+ point game, but third in his last
eight contests. Scoring 37 points in the Lakers double overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on March 13th, going 15-of-18 from the field (83.3 percent), Bynum’s
night marked just the fourth time in Lakers history that a player has scored at least 37 points on better than 83 percent shooting. The last Laker to accomplish this was
Shaquille O’Neal, who did so back on November 19, 1999 in a victory over the Bulls. Bynum’s first 30+ point game of the month came on March 6th in Detroit, when he
scored 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting.

WIRE-TO-WIRE
With their 97-92 victory over Minnesota on March 16th, the Lakers recorded their SECOND wire-to-wire victory of the 2011-12 season. Their other wire-to-wire victory
(game in which they never trailed) also came against the Timberwolves (104-85 (2/29)). Last year, the Lakers led the NBA with 10 wire-to-wire victories, all coming during
the regular season. During the team’s two most recent championship runs, they recorded nine wire-to-wire victories in 2009-10 (seven during the regular season and two
during the 2010 Playoffs (4/18 & 4/27 vs. Oklahoma City)) and 11 wire-to-wire victories in 2008-09 (nine during the regular season and two during the 2009 Playoffs (4/29
vs. Utah & 5/17 vs. Houston)). The Lakers have also lost one game this season in wire-to-wire fashion, falling to the Clippers 102-94 on January 14th. Last year, the
Lakers lost two such games: (98-107 1/8/10 at POR & 75-91 3/26/10 at OKC).

GETTING YOUNGER
In acquiring Ramon Sessions (25) and Christian Eyenga (22) from Cleveland for Luke Walton (32) and Jason Kapono (31) and Jordan Hill (24) from Houston for Derek
Fisher (37) prior to the March 15 trade deadline, the Lakers average team age saw two years shaved off of it, going from 29 years, 149 days to 27 years, 133 days.

*Statistical research assistance provided by the Elias Sports Bureau