The Los Angeles Lakers were able to avoid falling behind the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference standings once again Tuesday with a win over the lowly New Orleans Hornets at the Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant put on a show in the fourth quarter as usual with the ageless wonder scoring 23 points to seal the deal in the final 12 minutes of play. Kobe was unstoppable with his barrage of shots in the fourth, but it was Pau Gasol and the return of Metta World Peace that truly sparked this team at Staples.
Gasol had a solid performance finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks while outplaying rookie Anthony Davis in every way in the post. World Peace on the other hand made a miraculous recovery from knee surgery returning 12 days after having the procedure on to repair a torn meniscus.
With the win over the Hornets, the Lakers are currently sitting the eighth spot while heading to the Rose Garden to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night in the second game of a back-to-back.
Los Angeles hasn’t won the second game of a back-to-back all season long and will be tested against the Blazers even with the majority of the starters out due to injuries and rookies getting the nod against the Lakers.
Lakers Nation News
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VIDEO: Metta World Peace Returned Because He’s “Too Sexy For His Cat”
Kobe Bryant Ranked Fourth On ESPN’s NBA Player Rankings
A Fully Utilized Pau Gasol Is Peaking At The Right Time
Lakers News: Mike D’Antoni Reacts To Lakers Win Over Hornets
Lakers News: Earl Clark Involved In Car Accident Tuesday
Kobe Bryant Talks About Lakers’ Playoff Chances Moving Forward
Nash On Lakers’ Season: ‘It’s Been A Coach’s Nightmare’
NBA News: Kobe Bryant Has Fourth Highest Jersey Sales
Kobe On Dwight Howard: “I’m Trying To Bring Out The Best In Him”
Lakers News
Kobe Bryant Makes Lakers Give It To Pau Gasol [LA Times]
Metta World Peace Proves To Be A Fast Healer [LA Times]
Lakers Need To Take Back To Back Stand Chance Of Moving Forward [LA Times]
Kobe Bryant Featured Wednesday On TWC SportsNet ‘Connected With…’ [LA Times]
Last Chance For Lakers To Win On Consecutive Nights [LA Times]
Pau Gasol: Lack Of Security Bothersome, But Hopes To Stay With Lakers [LA Times]
Miller: Lakers No Longer Appear Dangerous [OC Register]
D’Antoni’s Vision For Lakers Hasn’t Panned Out [OC Register]
Video Playbook: Gasol Flexed His Skills Tuesday [Silver Screen & Roll]
Tweetbag: Kobe Tells Pau To Post, MWP’s Cat [Silver Screen & Roll]
Kobe Bryant On Playoff Race: ‘We Don’t Know What … Is Going To Happen’ [LA Daily News]
NBA News
A Tribute To The New York Knicks And 1994 [SB Nation]
Do Assists Matter? [SB Nation]
Jermaine O’Neal Goaltending Fail [SB Nation]
Bulls Lose Ground To Nets In East [SB Nation]
Evan Turner Still Enigma For 76ers. Where Does He Fit In? [Pro Basketball Talk]
Report: Indiana’s Cody Zeller To Declare For NBA Draft [Pro Basketball Talk]
John Wall’s Season Turned ARound AFter Emeka Okafor Got In His Face [Pro Basketball Talk]
Blazers Expected Part Ways With J.J. Hickson This Summer [Pro Basketball Talk]
Brandon Roy Hopes To Play In One More Games This Season [Pro Basketball Talk]
VIDEO: Miami’s LeBron James Throws Alley-Oop To Himself Off The Glass [Sports City]
VIDEO: Russell Westbrook Destroys The Rim With Thunderous Jam [Sports City]
NBA News: Minnesota’s Kevin Love To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery [Sports City]
Charles Barkley Talks Nowitzki Scoring 52 On Jordan, Pippen In 1997 [Sports City]
