Kobe Slams Hornets, Lakers Lead 3-2

Kobe Bryant slams it home over Emeka Okafor
(Photo Credit to Harry How/Getty Images)

The Lakers weathered the storm early, surviving a first quarter that saw New Orleans go 13 for 16 from the field and Chris Paul dishing out 8 assists. New Orleans looked to be in control of the game, leading by 9 points after the first quarter, but the second quarter was Kobe time.

Bryant went off for 12 of his team high 19 points in the second quarter, including a thunderous dunk over Emeka Okafor, which seemed to answer any questions about the superstar's health. The Lakers lead by 3 at the break and never looked back, outscoring the Hornets 52-39 in the second half in which the visitors only managed 36% from the field.

Los Angeles withstood New Orleans' torrid shooting in the first half by amassing  22 second chance points to the Hornets 2 and also dominated the paint 42-30 against the undersized New Orleans front line. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum came up huge for the hometown squad combining for 34 points and 18 boards, 7 of them on the offensive end.

The Lakers had 6 players in double figures, lead by Bryant's 19. Bynum added 18 and Gasol, 16 as the Lakers made a concerted effort to establish a low post game against a New Orleans team who is desperately missing David West, lost late in the regular season to a torn ACL.

The Hornets had 3 players in double figures, with former Laker Trevor Ariza pouring in 22 points, shooting 5 of 8 from three. Chris Paul continued his exceptional series, with 12 assists and 20 points in a losing effort. The Hornets need to regroup and find a way to contain Los Angeles' inside game if they hope to push the series to 7 games.

Not many expected New Orleans to put up such a fight after losing All Star caliber David West, but they managed to take one in the Staples Center to open the series and with one more win, can cause a one game playoff with the defending champions. Game 6 is back in New Orleans as the Hornets try to avoid elimination. If tonight was any indicator, it could be a long summer for Hornets' fans.