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Lakers dominate Hornets to end road trip: Five thoughts
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AP Photo/Alex Brandon
The Los Angeles Lakers withstood a late run by the New Orleans Hornets to come away with a 100-87 victory Tuesday in New Orleans. The Lakers finished their pre-Celtics road trip at 2-2 and saved their best game for last. Here are my five thoughts.
Bee-fense. For some reason, the Lakers played some of their best defense of the year against one of the league's top offensive teams. The Laker guards (minus Jordan Farmar, who has opted for surgery), who were unable to contain Beno Udrih and OJ Mayo, somehow kept superstar Chris Paul in check. Hopefully this isn't just an anomaly and the Lakers are actually turning the corner on the defensive end.
Who is that bald man? Who was that impostor wearing number 7 for the Lakers tonight? If it was Lamar Odom, it was a brand that we haven't seen yet this season. L.O. was wreaking havoc on both ends of the court and playing with an uncharacteristic level of energy and aggression. I'll take the credit, as he was probably responding to my call to action from a couple days ago.
Josh Powell Jr. can wait. Josh Powell showed what true committment really is by remaining with the team despite his wife going into labor. Powell checked in with his wife at halftime, who told him that he had at least a couple hours. With the Lakers up by 20 for most of the game, I'm sure Powell thought he had a pretty good shot at actually getting in the game. Unfortunately the Hornets made a late run and Josh remained on the bench. Hopefully he didn't miss his son or daughter's birth for a game he didn't even get into.
Whipping boy. Leave it to the Hornets to get the Lakers out of a slump. Who knows why, but the Lakers dominate one of the top teams in the West, especially in the Big Easy. It's like a pitcher who can't get an out, but for some reason gets the best hitter on the team out every time he's up.
A Christmas Miracle. The way the Lakers were playing, their Christmas showdown with the Boston Celtics was shaping up to be more of a lesson from the reigning champs. With this big win in New Orleans, maybe it will give the Lakers the confidence necessary to compete in the big game.
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