Series Index:

G.1: Hornets 109, Lakers 100 - at Los Angeles G.2: Lakers 87, Hornets 78 - at Los Angeles G.3: Lakers 100, Hornets 86 - at New Orleans G.4: Hornets 93, Lakers 88 - at New Orleans G.5: Lakers 106, Hornets 90 - at Los Angeles G.6: Lakers 98, Hornets 80 - at New Orleans		Game recap & pictures Game recap & pictures Game recap & pictures Game recap & pictures Game recap & pictures Game recap & pictures

Picture Gallery (LAT)

April 28 - New Orleans Arena, New Orleans. What once was an interesting series ended more like the original expectations had predicted, with Kobe leading the way, Bynum and Gasol controlling the paint and the Lakers easily dominating the Hornets in a 98-80 victory that sealed the series 4-2. This way the Lakers move on to the Western Conference Semifinals against the winner of the Dallas-Portland series.

Kobe had 24 points, 22 of them in the first three quarters while the game still had some meaning and of the rested his sore ankle for most of the fourth quarter. The Lakers played tight defense with Artest as their symbol and frustrated Chris Paul who couldn't perform at the level the Hornets need him to be a competitive team. In a low scoring game L.A. allowed New Orleans just 34 points in the first half and kept them at a 10-point distance for most of the third quarter. In the fourth they ended the game and series with a 9-0 run the made it 78-59, still with 8:28 minutes left.

Andrew Bynum had another strong night, dominated the paint at both sides of the floor and finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Eight of his rebounds were on the offensive end, basically the reason why the Lakers had a 21-4 advantage in second-chance points.

Contributing to L.A.'s interior dominance Pau Gasol added 16 points and 8 rebounds, Lamar Odom 14 and 8. The Lakers outrebounded the Hornets 43-30.

The Quotes

Phil Jackson (LAL Coach): "(this current squad) has the potential to be as good as any team I've coached with the Lakers.”

"The size and depth of our team wore them down in the end. It took us a little time to figure out this team.”

Kobe Bryant (Lakers): “We're good at making adjustments and learning. So the more a series goes on, the more we learn. That comes from our coaching staff. That comes from us and the amount of experience we have, being able to pick teams apart the later we go in a series.”

Monty Williams(Hornets Coach): “Every time he got an offensive rebound, it was deflating, You don't really realize how good he is until you face him in a series. Kobe's Kobe, but I thought Bynum decided the series. He was that good.”

Chris Paul (Hornets): "We just lost to a really, really good team. It's obvious why they're the two-time defending champs. They did a really good job of closing the lane down. … I still tried to find my spots, but the lane was packed.”

Highlights

Complete Boxscore