Los Angeles Lakers vs Hornets Tickets

New Orleans 105, L.A. Lakers 89
Wed, Dec 6, 2006

LOS ANGELES (AP) -The guard slashing to the basket and blowing by defenders on the way down the court wasn't Kobe Bryant.

Chris Paul upstaged the Lakers' superstar with 26 points and 11 rebounds in the New Orleans Hornets' 105-89 victory Wednesday night that snapped their season-high five-game losing streak.

"You won't be seeing too many dudes like that this season, getting into the paint like that," said Bryant, who led the Los Angeles Lakers with 24 points. "I love his game."

Rasual Butler added 22 points and former Lakers Jannero Pargo had 21 off the bench as coach Byron Scott beat the team he helped to NBA championships during the Lakers' "Showtime" era.

"Where our team has changed so much is we didn't let (the losing streak) bother us," Paul said. "Last year I think it would have gotten us down and we would have thought about it too much. But when you play 82 games in this league as fast as you lose them, you can win them just as quick."

Lamar Odom added 20 for the Lakers, who had won three straight before losing for the third time at home this season.

"They played with a lot more hunger than we did at key moments," Bryant said, noting New Orleans came in off a five-day layoff.

Kobe Bryant sprained his right ankle in Monday's 101-87 victory over Indiana, and after testing it in a morning shootaround, he started the game.

"It's sore right now," said Bryant., who estimated his ankle at 50 percent. "I couldn't run like I normally do, explode and get to the basket."

Paul's 11 rebounds allowed New Orleans to dominate the boards, 49-31, including 20 offensive rebounds.

"That's what killed us," Bryant. said. "They went after it harder than we did in the paint."

Pargo sandwiched 3-pointers around a 7-0 run by the Lakers to keep New Orleans ahead 85-81 in the fourth. His first 3 extended the Hornets' lead to eight before Ronny Turiaf scored and Lamar Odom had five in a row for the Lakers.

Bryant. banked in an 11-footer, hit a jumper from the right baseline and Lamar Odom's layup circled the rim before falling in to get the Lakers to 93-87.

The Lakers were forced to settle for outside shots, but they couldn't hit from long-range in the final 3 minutes. Luke Walton missed twice and Lamar Odom missed a 3-pointer after turning the ball over trying to inbound it.

"Kobe Bryant made one of the most unusual plays I've ever seen in basketball," Jackson said, referring to Lamar Odom dribbling the ball inbounds instead of passing it. "I've seen it once before in a junior high game."

Bothered by a head cold, Odom committed seven of the Lakers' 17 turnovers.

"I played bad throughout the game. I'm not surprised by it at all," he said. "We took it on the chin. That's the beauty of the NBA. Everybody is good enough to win one game and they did."

Kobe Bryant.'s basket was the Lakers' only points in the final 5 minutes, when New Orleans built its first double-digit lead of the game.

Paul assisted on Desmond Mason's alley-oop dunk before Butler's follow dunk closed out the win.

"He controls the tempo well and has a nice feel for the game," Jackson said about Paul. "The number of times he took the ball away from people in a scrum is an invaluable asset."

Usually a quarter of struggle for the Hornets, they outscored the Lakers 21-19 in the third and led 75-71. Paul had nine points, while the Lakers shot 41 percent and trailed except for two early ties.

The Hornets were missing three injured starters who account for 46-plus points. Guard Bobby Jackson has a cracked left rib, guard Peja Stojakovic has back spasms, and forward David West has been sidelined with a strained right forearm.

Notes: Jackson is no fan of the NBA's new game ball, changed from leather to a microfiber composite, saying it cuts up coaches' hands during practice. Commissioner David Stern has said he will take up players' concerns with the ball's manufacturer. "I'm glad the commissioner is as capable of being changable as President Bush is on his policy in Iraq," Jackson joked, adding that if Stern "doesn't give me a $25,000 fine, I'm all right." Jackson was fined that amount last month for criticizing referees in a loss to Utah.

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NBA Future:
Tyler Hansbrough
Tyler Hansbrough led Oak Hill Academy to a 42-1 record as a senior (won their first 42 games) o First-team USA Today All-America selection o Averaged 23.8 points, 9.1 assists and five steals in 2006 o Shot 63 percent from the floor, including 42 percent from three-point range o Had a season-high 37 points, one of nine games in which he scored 30 or more o Had a season-high 18 assists and had double-digit assists 18 times o Played for coach Steve Smith o Participated in McDonald's All-Star Game, Jordan Classic and Nike Hoop Summit o McDonald's and Parade All-America selection o Had 17 points and six assists in Nike Hoop Summit o Also played soccer last year at Oak Hill o Most Valuable Player at Oak Hill in 2005 o Most Valuable Player at World Juniors Tournament in France in June 2005 o Attended Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md., for two years.

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