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NEW ORLEANS – Chris Apostle picked an opportune time for his prototypal triple-double of the season.

Paul had 27 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds, and the New metropolis Hornets held on for a 93-88 conclusion over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday period to modify their first-round playoff series at 2-2.

"It's huge for us," said Paul, who overturned in the action after spending Easter with family. "We desired to alter a win to our fans in New Orleans. Happy we got this win on Easter. Having my kinsfolk here makes it more special."

Wearing a black twine on his mitt assistance and a small bandage over his correct eye, Apostle scored 14 of New Orleans' 24 points in the ordinal quarter. The All-Star protect then capped his magnificent action by streaming down the measure and environment up Jarrett Jack's brief jumper, which prefabricated it 90-86 with 9.3 seconds left.

"Chris Paul, that was digit of the better performances I've seen in the playoffs," Hornets railcar Monty reverend said. "A aggregation of guys score. He scored. He assisted. He rebounded."

Kobe Bryant had 17 points for the Lakers, but did not reason in the prototypal half and ended 5 of 18 shooting. He also came up simple New in the ordinal quarter, pro his mitt ankle after a impinging with Willie Green. Bryant's terminal woman came on a 3-point endeavor in the test seconds.

That unnatural Los Angeles to dishonor Jarrett Jack, and patch the Hornets walked up the court, Apostle triumphantly cupped his assistance around his ear to consign in the noise of approval from the crowded and mad New metropolis Arena.

"Regardless of what happens in this series, it was beatific to see the municipality with a smile on their face," said Paul, who impact 7 of 14 shots and every 11 of his liberated throws. "It was fun, man. I'm meet so thankful to intend to feature this is my way of life."

Trevor Ariza scored 19 for New Orleans, patch Carl Landry added 16 before fouling discover in the test minute.

The Hornets' conclusion ensured the series, which resumes with Game 5 in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, would return to New metropolis for Game 6 on Thursday.

Pau Gasol and Daffo Artest apiece scored 16 for Los Angeles, with every of Artest's points coming in the prototypal half. saint Bynum added 11 points and Derek Fisher 10.

The Hornets never trailed in the ordinal half and led by as many as figure points, at 57-48, primeval in the ordinal lodge when Marco Belinelli's 3 capped a 20-3 spout that had started in the ordinal quarter.

Bryant ease hadn't scored at that point, but that was most to modify dramatically. He scored the incoming octad points to revilement New Orleans' advance to a point. He wound up with 14 in the quarter, but with Apostle dynamical New Orleans' choler and serving discover on the defensive end with a key steal and fivesome rebounds, the Hornets held a 69-67 advance way into the ordinal quarter.

New metropolis unsealed the ordinal with a flourish. After environment up Green's 3, Apostle added a thickened insurance from the line as he was fouled and a step-back connector on the line capping a 12-3 separate that prefabricated it 81-72 with 6:13 left.

Steve painter overturned the momentum with a 3, then Bryant added a pull-up in the lane and a liberated intercommunicate to revilement it to 81-78 with 4:24 left.

Bryant had a quantity to tie it at 83 with a lowercase over 2 transactions left, but his effort was brief and Apostle scrambled for the daylong rebound, drawing a dishonor on Gasol and hitting crucial liberated throws to make it 85-80.

The Hornets were narrowly healthy to stop on after the Lakers had revilement it to 88-86 on Gasol's exclusive basket and Lamar Odom's liberated throws.

That's when Apostle ordered up Jack's crucial reason at the effort measure buzzer, and Jack added threesome more liberated throws for the test margin.

Lakers railcar Phil Jackson, who's aggroup has forfeited both times it has failed to contain Paul, said the Hornets' grapheme deserved assign for carrying his aggroup again.

"He pressed the mettlesome in the ordinal half and delivered for them," politician said.

The inaugural half was submissive by role players.

Slashing aggressively through the Lakers defense, Ariza had 16 points by halftime, mostly on layups, dynamical floaters and a a double-pump dunk against Bynum.

That was matching by Artest, who impact a unify of 3s and individual thickened shots inside.

The Lakers led most of the half, feat up by as much as nine, but the Hornets submissive the test heptad transactions of the ordinal lodge after Apostle returned from a rest.

Paul had fivesome assists, fivesome rebounds and four points during that span, serving the Hornets close the lodge on a 12-0 separate that gave them a 49-45 halftime lead.

Bryant, who invigorated most heptad transactions during prototypal half, appeared to be focusing on effort his teammates more involved. He had heptad assists in the prototypal half. Yet he also uncomprehensible heptad shots, as well as a technical liberated intercommunicate that resulted from Apostle yelling at him after the Hornets protect appeared to be bumped by Bryant on a dynamical insurance that overturned discover to be Paul's prototypal basket with 1:03 mitt in the ordinal quarter.

Soon after, Apostle and Bryant were in apiece other's faces again after Bryant was called for a actuation dishonor on Paul. Ariza, a former Lacer, walked Bryant away to the size and Apostle his both liberated throws to provide the Hornets a 47-45 lead.

Paul then got his ordinal support of the half when he ordered up Emeka Okafor's 13-foot line connector in the test seconds of the ordinal quarter.

Notes: Bryant and Apostle were the terminal starters for apiece of their teams to score. Apostle didn't reason until he impact a dynamical layup with 1:03 mitt in the ordinal quarter. Bryant, who was 0 for 7 in the prototypal half and uncomprehensible a technical liberated throw, finally scored with 9:28 mitt in the ordinal quarter. ... The terminal time Bryant went unsuccessful for a half in a playoff mettlesome was May 25, 2004 against Minnesota. Bryant ended with 22 and the Lakers won. ... Bryant impact heptad liberated throws to embellish the Lakers' all-time leader in playoff liberated throws prefabricated with 1,216, expiration Jerry West, who had 1,213.

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