Halftime: Hornets 50, Lakers 42

NEW ORLEANS -- The Lakers started out just fine tonight. Other than the fact that Pau Gasol was the only one who could make a basket, that is. Gasol scored 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting in the early minutes. No other Laker had scored with 5 minutes, 18 seconds left in the first quarter, which was a bad sign. Things didn't get a whole lot better in the first half. Gasol had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Ron Artest scored 12 and Kobe Bryant had 10 points. But they were no match for the scalding Hornets, who shot 7 of 13 from beyond the 3-point arc (53.8 percent). David West and Marcus Thornton had 10 each.