Lakers at Hornets
THE STORY: The Los Angeles Lakers evened their Western Conference playoff series with the New Orleans Hornets thanks to a gritty Game 2 effort from players other than their superstars. They hope Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol will be back on their game as they visit the Hornets for Game 3 on Friday night. Despite the loss, New Orleans goes back home confident that they have the Lakers’ attention and can match their intensity.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, KCAL
ABOUT THE LAKERS: Bryant and Gasol scored just 19 points on 5-for-20 shooting, but the Lakers' other key players shone in Wednesday's 87-78 win. Andrew Bynum finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds while Lamar Odom, fresh off being named NBA Sixth Man of the Year, added 16 points. The duo combined to shoot 16 of 23. Odom was given a standing ovation after receiving his award prior to the
game. “After you get an award like that, you get a little bit selfish
and you can't help but want to play well,” Odom said. “But that's been
my mentality really especially throughout this year to play at a certain
level.” Matt Barnes (4 for 4) added eight points, four rebounds and two steals in just 12 minutes.
ABOUT THE HORNETS: New Orleans got solid performances from Chris Paul (20 points and nine assists) and Trevor Ariza (22 points and seven rebounds), but it wasn't enough. The Lakers used Bryant to defend Paul instead of Derek Fisher, and Paul never got into the rhythm that helped him dominate for the Hornets in Game 1. New Orleans also missed 12 free throws. “We split here (Los Angeles) and now we've got to go back and take care of home,” Paul said. “(Missing free throws) falls on me as the point guard. I missed four free throws tonight. Obviously we've got to get better at that.”
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Gasol is shooting just 21 percent (4 for 19) from the field in the first two games after hitting at a 52-percent clip during the season. After scoring just six points on 2-of-13 shooting in Game 1, forward Trevor Ariza led the Hornets Wednesday with 22 points and seven rebounds.
KEY STATISTIC: The Hornets committed 16 turnovers leading to 22 Lakers points in Game 2. New Orleans had just three turnovers in Game 1.
LAST WORD: “It's not about the amount of shots you take, it's about giving effort at both ends of the floor. I think it was very important for us to understand that as a group. We win games at the defensive end. For the most part, I was just going through the motions and just facilitating.” – Bryant on his 11-point effort.