Halftime: Lakers 55, Hornets 42

There he goes again. Kobe Bryant has scored almost at will during the first half, making 10 of 16 shots en route to a team-leading 16 points. He was devastating once again in the high post, turning and shooting over the Hornets' Devin Brown. Bryant scored 41 points in consecutive games and in three of the last four. Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Luke Walton added five points each. Brown and Chris Paul led New Orleans with 10 points apeice. The Lakers led by as many as 17 points and never trailed.