Chris Paul has 11 points and 10 assists in the first half as the New Orleans Hornets lead the Los Angeles Lakers 55-47 in Game 1 of their first round 2011 NBA Playoffs series. Paul had some incredible passes, but also tallied some much-needed points of his own. A late three-pointer pushed him atop the Hornets' scoring ledger. Italian gunner Marco Belinelli has 10, including two three-pointers.
Lakers Vs. Hornets Score: Chris Paul Pushes New Orleans Lead To 8 In Wild Second
Kobe Bryant scored 16 points on 7-13 shooting, but put a spook in Lakers fans at the tail end of the second quarter. After hitting a corner three to bring the Lakers within eight, Kobe fell backwards and his head appeared to hit the knee or shin of a courtside fan. Kobe remained laying face down on the court for the final two possessions of the quarter, as CP3 went down, noticed the Hornets had a 5-on-4 situation and hit a three-pointer. With time running down and most of the players watching Kobe, Ron Artest hit a shot from near midcourt at the buzzer to put the margin back at eight.
Emeka Okafor and Andrew Bynum have three fouls apiece. In the power forward matchup, Carl Landry is outscoring Pau Gasol eight to four.
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