Lakers F Odom to have MRI on knee Wednesday

Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom will have an MRI on his hyper-extended right knee Wednesday morning. Odom landed awkwardly after grabbing a rebound with 3:03 left in the second quarter of the Lakers' 116-105 loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday. A starter last season when Los Angeles went to the NBA Finals, Odom has come off the bench this season, averaging 8.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists...read full article

West's career night helps Hornets beat L.A.

Hornets forward David West made a strong All-Star statement Tuesday night here in the Staples Center, tying a career high with 40 points as New Orleans overcame Kobe Bryant's 3-point outburst to win 116-105. Guard Chris Paul had 32 points and 15 assists. Bryant was 6-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line and had 20 points in the third quarter. He finished with 39 points. The win was the first in three tries this season for the Hornets against the Western Conference leading Lakers and ended Los Angeles' 15-game home winning streak. Los Angeles had...read full article

Kobe can't save Lakers in 116-105 defeat

Kobe Bryant turned Staples Center electric in the third quarter Tuesday night. The New Orleans Hornets turned it nearly silent in the fourth. The Lakers were stuck in neutral in a game that demanded top speed, so Bryant got them moving in the right direction - temporarily, at least. He scored 20 of his team-leading 39 points in the third quarter, but the Lakers fizzled in the fourth.
New Orleans regrouped and ended the Lakers' six-game winning streak with a 116-105 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 18,997. It was the Hornets' first win over the...read full article

Lakers vs Hornets Highlights

Oh, there you are. In a week seemingly dedicated to auditioning Western Conference contenders, having identified none to this point and hoping to keep it that way as long as possible, the Lakers got some bad news Tuesday night. They're not immortal. The fat lady hasn't sung. Having lost to one West team all season, the Sacramento Kings, who don't figure to be there at the end, the Lakers crumbled at the end of Tuesday's game and lost, 116-105, to an actual West challenger, the New Orleans Hornets. With two stars, Chris...read full article

NBA - Round-up: Hornets sting Lakers

David West and Chris Paul combined for 72 points to help the New Orleans Hornets sting the Los Angeles Lakers 116-105, the visitors surging past the Western Conference leaders with a fourth-quarter rally. West (pictured) delivered 40 points and Paul added 32 with 15 assists to end the Lakers's six-game winning streak and hand the home side just their second loss in 20 contests at the STAPLES Center. Trailing 99-94 with 8:31 remaining, the Hornets found new life, outscoring the Lakers 22-6 to claim their fifth win in six games. Kobe Bryant had 39...read full article

Hornets snap Lakers' six-game NBA win streak

David West scored 40 points and Chris Paul added 32 points and 15 assists to lead the New Orleans Hornets past the Los Angeles Lakers 116-105, snapping the Lakers' six-game win streak.
The Hornets had lost their two prior games this season against the Lakers, who managed only 13 points in the final quarter while the Hornets scored 15 consecutive points in the last period to frustrate the Lakers. Kobe Bryant scored 39 points and added seven assists to lead the Lakers, but managed only two points in the final quarter for the Lakers. Derek Fisher added...read full article

Radmanovic to Start

After Luke Walton went down with a foot injury earlier this week, Jackson started Trevor Ariza in his place Sunday against the Trail Blazers. But tonight, it’s back to the bench for Ariza, the place he actually prefers, as Phil Jackson told reporters before the game that Vladimir Radmanovic would return to the starting lineup to face the New Orleans Hornets. There are a few obvious reasons why Jackson’s making the switch: Vladi prefers to start, and Ariza would rather come off the bench; Vladi spreads the floor better than Ariza, who’s struggled a bit with...read full article

New Orleans Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers game updates

The New Orleans Hornets welcomed the return of center Tyson Chandler to the lineup Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers after Chandler missed Saturday's loss to Denver while serving a one-game suspension. Chandler was suspended for a Friday night altercation with Portland's Joel Pryzbilla. "We definitely want to have a good game because they handled us pretty well at our place," Chandler said of the Lakers' two wins earlier this year. "We want to come out here and steal a couple of games on their home floor. "The last...read full article

Lakers Are Now the Best: It's Official

With their win against the Portland Trail Blazers, after the Celtics lost at New York and the Cavaliers lost at Washington on Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers claim the top spot with a league-best 27-5 record. Boston (29-6) and Cleveland (27-6) are now looking up to the Lakers' best record in the league. Kobe Bryant played for just 33 minutes and scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 19 points in 28 minutes, and Los Angeles beat the Portland Trail Blazers 100-86 Sunday night for its sixth consecutive victory and 15th straight at...read full article

NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

It's been two weeks since the last edition of my power rankings, where the East's mighty trio of Boston, Cleveland and Orlando took the top three spots. But that was last year, and now that 2008 has come and gone, it's time for a new leader: the Lakers. There was plenty of repositioning elsewhere as well, including the Detroit Pistons re-entering the top-10 for the first time since mid-November.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-5) - Technically the Lakers are still a half-game behind the Celtics for the NBA's best record, but after L.A. beat Boston pretty convincingly on Christmas Day, then downed both Utah and Portland by double digits, there's no question who should be #1.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-6) - LeBron couldn't rally the Cavs past the Heat last week on his birthday despite dropping 24 of his 38 in the second half, and I can...read full article

The Janus Report: New Orleans Hornets at LA Lakers Free Pick

The Los Angeles Lakers try to defend a six-game winning streak and their 15-game home winning-streak tonight against the 20-10 New Orleans Hornets. The two squads have met twice this year already, both times in the Hornet’s Nest, but with the Lakers walking away from New Orleans with convincing victories in each contest. Steve Janus offers you his free NBA picks all season long with the Janus Report! The Lakers are 7-point favorites tonight, and it’s not hard to see why. In their 18 wins at the Staples Center this year, Kobe and...read full article