After his first scoreless playoff first-half since 2004, Kobe Bryant was poised for a breakout second half. And breakout he did, scoring fourteen points in the third quarter. Combined with his eight assists, Kobe has the Los Angeles Lakers within two, down 69-67 to the New Orleans Hornets at the end of the third quarter.
Lakers Vs. Hornets: Kobe Comes Alive But Chris Paul Has Hornets Up After Three Quarters
Ron Artest still leads the Lakers with 16 points and Pau Gasol has 12 but both players have cooled off considerably. Andrew Bynum has 8 points and 7 rebounds on the night so far, though he also has four fouls.
Chris Paul is a stat machine for the Hornets. Paul already has a triple-double (13 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds) as he also found his groove in the second half. Trevor Ariza leads New Orleans with 16 points while Carl Landry has 16.
The game started as a battle of who could score less, Kobe or Paul. Now it’s turning into a game who’ll score more.
Be sure to check out our Lakers vs. Hornets hub for full series coverage. For more on the Hornets, visit At The Hive. For more on the Lakers, visit Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles.
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