Lakers 87, Hornets 78
Andrew Bynum had 17 points and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers got little production from stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol but kept Chris Paul in check in a 87-78 victory over visiting New Orleans on Wednesday night to even their Western Conference first-round series at 1-1.
Game 3 will be Friday in New Orleans.
Paul had 33 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds and four steals in Game 1, but the Lakers kept him relatively quiet Wednesday with the 20 points, nine assists and three rebounds.
Bryant scored 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting. He had three points in the first half on 1-for-4 shooting and didn't record his first field goal until just before halftime.
Gasol finished with just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting.
While Bryant and Gasol struggled from the field, Bynum was 8 of 11 and Lamar Odom was 8 for 12 for 16 points and seven rebounds. Ron Artest had 15 points and six rebounds.
Trevor Ariza scored 22 points with seven rebounds for the Hornets while Carl Landry added 12 points and seven boards.
Los Angeles went on an 12-0 run to grab a 45-33 lead before the Hornets closed to 47-41 as Paul sank a deep 3-pointer just before halftime.
The Lakers used a 10-0 run in the third to push their lead to 61-49 and never let the Hornets get back in the game.