Lakers 103, Hornets 87
Lakers 103, Hornets 87: Kobe Bryant scored 29 points to become the fifth player in NBA history with 30,000 points and visiting Los Angeles pulled away to beat New Orleans for the eighth straight time.
Dwight Howard contributed 18 points and eight rebounds while Antawn Jamison added 15 points for the Lakers, who snapped a two-game losing streak by winning the second of back-to-back games a day after squandering a 17-point lead at Houston.
Ryan Anderson led the Hornets with a game-high 31 points and nine rebounds while Greivis Vasquez added 16 points and nine assists.
The Lakers got off to a sluggish start and trailed by as many as eight before surging ahead with a 16-0 run that bridged halftime. They scored the first 13 points of the second half and eased away from there.
Bryant joined Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Michael Jordan in the 30,000-point club with a driving bucket with 1:16 left in the second quarter. He is the youngest player (34 years, 104 days) to reach the milestone.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Lakers F Pau Gasol missed his second consecutive game with tendinitis in both knees. … Los Angeles F Metta World Peace scored 11 points to become the sixth player in NBA history with 12,000 points, 4,000 rebounds, 1,000 3-point field goals and 1,500 steals. Bryant also is on that list. … Robin Lopez scored 15 points for the Hornets on 7-of-9 shooting.