Lakers Beat the Hornets

The Hornets kept it close in the first half, taking a 1 point lead into the locker room, but Los Angeles blew the game open in the third quarter before turning it into a blowout in the 4th.

It was a balanced effort for L.A. offensively, with Kobe leading the way, but Dwight Howard and Antawn Jamison were also effective. The Lakers bench -- mediocre to awful at times this season -- also had its way with New Orleans' second unit. The defense continually left the perimeter unguarded, and L.A. capitalized, hitting 14 threes.

Offensively, the Hornets struggled in the second half despite the best efforts of Ryan Anderson (31 points on 21 shots) and Robin Lopez (15 points on 9 shots).

And last, congrats to Kobe on reaching 30,000 points.

Silver Screen and Roll