The Lakers came out victorious last night to remain unbeaten, by disposing of the New Orleans Hornets. The game was all Lakers for three of the four quarters, due to Chris Paul being the only one that seemed to show up to play. Tyson Chandler was anything but a factor, after getting three quick fouls in the first quarter spending a great amount of time on the bench. Peja was off, and by off I mean he was zero for his first seven shots. David West continues to play like someone else, as he seemed to miss makeable shot after shot.
This is not the Hornet team that I remember. It's still early in the season, so I expect them to pull it together soon. However another huge factor in this non-competitive game was the Lakers defense. They forced the Hornets to take some ugly looks, they took away the screen and roll, and the Lakers took advantage of the Hornets misfortune by draining their shots.
The Hornets were led on a comeback in the fourth quarter, by none other than Chris Paul. But he also finally got a little help from his friends. Peja started making his shots, West finally looked like his usual self, and Tyson managed to stay on the court for an extended period of time. But it was all for naught, the deficit was to large for them to overcome. Lakers win 93-86. The score is definitely not a representative of how uneven the game really was.
For the Lakers, they got help from every starter, although the typically great bench was a non-factor. Derek Fisher was fantastic, scoring 20 points on 11 shots. Andrew Bynum was efficient with 14 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. Kobe was just okay, with 20 points and six assists. Pau Gasol was the star of the night, in 42 minutes he scored 30 points, dolled out 13 assists, and grabbed seven boards. He also had just two turnovers but balanced it out with two steals. It was just an amazing game for the Spaniard.
The Lakers next game will against another tough opponent as they will face off with the Pistons, Friday at 10:30. The game will be at Staples and can be seen on ESPN.
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