Dwight Howard scored 24 points and Kobe Bryant added 14 points and 11 assists in the Los Angeles Lakers' 111-106 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.
Earl Clark contributed with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Antawn Jamison had 16 points off the bench. Jodie Meek scored 13 and Steve Nash finished with 12 points and five assists to help the L.A. to their third straight win.
The Lakers outscored New Orleans 25-24 in the first quarter to take a one-point lead. They extended their lead to 12 points by outscoring the opponents 29-18 in the second quarter.
New Orleans cut the Lakers' lead to 83-73 in the third quarter by outscoring Los Angeles 31-29.
"We're doing a good job of not being selfish, and of doing whatever we can to help our team win," Howard said. "Things are clicking for us. Our offense is a lot smoother, and on defense we're really holding each other accountable."
Bryant, who is the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history, accepted that he was enjoying the role of a playmaker.
"It's working pretty well," Bryant said. "It's very easy for me to look over the defense and know where they're coming from, just kind of line my guys up in the right way and just pick them apart."
The game against the Lakers was the last before a seven-game trip for New Orleans and considering their far from convincing performances lately, as they have lost 15 of 20 on the road this season, the trip will be a tough challenge for them.
For the Hornets, Eric Gordon was the top scorer with 25 points, Anthony Davis scored 18 and Greivis Vasquez finished with 15 points and 15 assists. Robin Lopez and Ryan Anderson had 16 points apiece against the Lakers.
New Orleans' Anderson scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Hornets outscore the Lakers 33-28, but the Hornets lost the game by five points.
"We're a young team that's still building chemistry, and to come back like that is a really good confidence boost for the guys," Hornets guard Eric Gordon said. "We had a chance to win. We were getting a lot of stops and were scoring at will. It just boiled down to the final plays."
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