Next Game: Hornets - 11/09 vs. LAC | Lakers - 11/12 vs. Pho

Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson both thought the injury-depleted Lakers would get a stern early season test from the New Orleans Hornets. Instead, their visitors barely put up a fight. Yes, DJ Mbenga and Shannon Brown were just that good. Bryant scored 28 points, Brown added 15 and Los Angeles thrived again without its top two big men, beating the New Orleans Hornets 104-88 Sunday night. Mbenga had 10 points and 12 rebounds in his fourth career NBA start for the defending champions, who easily won their fifth straight game and second in a row without injured center Andrew Bynum and forward Pau Gasol.
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Season Series

Date	Home	Score
Sun 11/8	LAL	LAL 104-88
Date	Home	Time (ET)
Tue 12/1	LAL	10:30 pm
Mon 3/29	NO	8:00 pm

Game Stats

Hornets (2-5) Season Stats | Roster Starters Name Min Reb Asst PF Pts C Paul, G 30 1 9 4 15 D West, F 30 4 0 1 11 E Okafor, C 27 14 0 2 10 D Brown, G 21 1 1 4 10 J Wright, F 18 0 1 1 2 Bench Name Min Reb Asst PF Pts J Posey 24 6 1 3 10 M Thornton 7 1 0 0 8 P Stojakovic 23 3 1 1 6 D Songaila 18 5 3 2 6 D Collison 7 1 3 0 6 B Brown 14 1 1 2 4 H Armstrong 21 6 3 3 0 I Diogu 0 0 0 0 0 S Marks 0 0 0 0 0 M Peterson 0 0 0 0 0

Lakers (6-1) Season Stats | Roster Starters Name Min Reb Asst PF Pts K Bryant, G 34 2 1 3 28 D Mbenga, C 30 12 0 3 10 D Fisher, G 14 2 2 4 8 L Odom, F 30 9 6 1 7 R Artest, F 30 8 7 0 5 Bench Name Min Reb Asst PF Pts S Brown 21 0 2 3 15 L Walton 21 2 2 1 11 S Vujacic 12 2 0 3 7 J Farmar 20 3 5 1 6 A Morrison 7 2 1 0 5 J Powell 22 3 1 3 2 A Bynum 0 0 0 0 0 P Gasol 0 0 0 0 0

Complete Box Score

Injury Report

Hornets Date Player Injury 11/13 C Paul, PG Sprained left ankle

Lakers Date Player Injury 11/16 L Walton, SF Pinched nerve in back - out 6-8 weeks

Player News

Hornets Hilton Armstrong (NO) News: Armstrong re-aggravated a shoulder problem in Sunday's loss to the Heat.  (STATS - Mon. Nov 23, 2009) Ike Diogu (NO) News: Diogu (knee) will sit out another two weeks to rest his injury, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.  (RotoWire - Mon. Nov 23, 2009) James Posey (NO) News: Posey had 14 points (5-11 FG, 4-8 3Pt), six rebounds and three assists in Sunday's loss to Miami.  (RotoWire - Mon. Nov 23, 2009)

Lakers Pau Gasol (LAL) News: Pau Gasol had 15 points and seven rebounds in the Lakers' win over the Thunder on Sunday. Gasol added six assists as well in the win.  (Fanball - Mon. Nov 23, 2009) Andrew Bynum (LAL) News: Andrew Bynum returned with a bang on Sunday as the Lakers defeated the Thunder 101-85. Bynum scored 21 points and hauled in nine rebounds in the game.  (Fanball - Mon. Nov 23, 2009) Kobe Bryant (LAL) News: Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, hauled in six rebounds, and dished seven assists on Sunday as the Lakers made easy work of the Thunder 101-85. Kobe had two steals and did not turn the ball over in the win.  (Fanball - Mon. Nov 23, 2009)