New Orleans, LA - Kobe Bryant scored 50 points, his fourth straight with at least as many points, as the Los Angeles Lakers held off New Orleans/Oklahoma City, 111-105, at the New Orleans Arena.
Bryant has been in the zone over Los Angeles' last four games -- all wins. He became just the second player in NBA history to post four straight games of at least 50 points, finishing 16-for-29 from the floor, 2-for-5 from beyond the arc, and 16-for-16 from the charity stripe.
'Just getting in a good groove,' Bryant said. 'Putting myself in position to see the basket. I am seeing the basket.'
With a 20-foot jumper at the 5:13 mark of the fourth quarter, Bryant joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to score 50 points or more in four straight contests. Bryant had 65 last Friday against Portland, then posted 50 versus Minnesota on Sunday, and had a 60-point performance in the Lakers' 121-119 win over Memphis on Thursday.
'We knew Kobe [Bryant] was going to have one of those nights,' New Orleans/Oklahoma City coach Byron Scott said. 'He's just so good. He's such a competitor and he lives in the moment. This is the moment right now with a playoff-type atmosphere, playoff-type basketball. We knew he was going to come out and play like that.'
Lamar Odom posted 15 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles, which moved two games ahead of Denver for sixth overall in the West. Kwame Brown added 10 points for the Lakers, who improved to 15-21 on the road this season, and begin a five-game homestand on Sunday against Golden State.
Tyson Chandler posted 22 points and 22 rebounds to become the first player since Anthony Mason (12/11/96) to put up at least 20 and 20 in a home game for the Hornets, who played for the sixth and final time this season in New Orleans. They were 3-3 at the New Orleans Arena this campaign.
Chris Paul notched 28 points and 12 assists for the Hornets, who had a two- game winning streak snapped and are 10th overall in the West, two games behind the Clippers for the eighth spot in the standings. Devin Brown added 14 points for New Orleans, which is 20-14 as the host this season.
The Hornets attained an early advantage by converting eight straight free throws for a 27-21 lead with 2:32 remaining, and led 31-29 heading into the second.
Trailing 54-48 with two minutes to go in the second, the Hornets went on a 9-2 spurt sparked by a Brown trey 15 seconds later for a 57-56 halftime edge.
After Desmond Mason's layup 32 seconds into the second half, LA took off on a 25-6 burst and Bryant's trey with 4:55 left put the Lakers ahead 81-65. The Hornets trimmed their deficit only slightly down the stretch for an 87-75 margin heading into the fourth.
The Hornets started to rally, opening the fourth on an 11-5 run capped by a pair of Jannero Pargo three-pointers for a 92-86 deficit with 7:10 to go. But, the Lakers responded on a 13-8 run to seal their fourth straight win.
Game Notes
Chamberlain scored at least 50 points in seven straight games while with the Lakers during the 1961-62 season...The Hornets have beaten the Lakers twice this season, just falling short of the three-game series sweep. Los Angeles, though, has won eight of the last 11 in the series.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes
.
Your Talkback on this Story