Submitted by Admin on April 23, 2011 - 12:49
The New Orleans Hornets won the first game of the series against the LA Lakers and many people thought it could lead to the biggest upset in NBA history. Two games later, the Lakers have a 2-1 advantage over the Hornets and another win in New Orleans would all but eliminate the Hornets.
The Hornets' surprising 109-100 victory over the Lakers in Game 1 of their series is a distant memory as they face a 2-1 deficit going into Game 4 on Sunday in the New Orleans Arena.
The Lakers regained homecourt advantage when they beat the Hornets, 100-86, in Game 3 on Friday night. It was the first time in the series that New Orleans let all of Los Angeles' key players be effective.
Andrew Bynum, who helped key Los Angeles' 87-78 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday, was a big factor again, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds. Gasol, who played poorly in the first two games, added 17 points and 10 rebounds, including four offensive, as the Lakers enjoyed a 43-38 rebounding edge, which was larger until the waning moments.
Kobe Bryant, who scored just 11 points in Game 2 as he concentrated more on guarding Chris Paul and distributing to his teammates, scored a game-high 30. He made 4-of-7 three-pointers as Los Angeles made 7-of-16 three-pointers, compared to 2-of-13 for New Orleans. Lamar Odom had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Derek Fisher scored 10 points.
The Lakers never trailed after taking the lead midway through the first quarter and they looked more like the team that swept the four-game regular-season series with an average margin of 10.8 points.
Now the Hornets have their backs against the wall and need to win this game if they have any chance of pulling off an upset. Chris Paul is an unbelievable player for the Hornets, but he is finding out rather quickly that he cannot do it alone.
The game will be interesting to watch to see if the Lakers pour it on, or the Hornets fight to stay alive.
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