LOS ANGELES, April 27 (UPI) -- Kobe Bryant scored 19 points Tuesday to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 106-90 win over New Orleans in their Western Conference quarterfinals series.
Los Angeles leads the series 3-2 and will travel to the Crescent City for Game 6 Thursday.
Bryant's sprained left ankle did not appear to slow him down as he led a balanced Los Angeles offense that included six players in double figures. Andrew Bynum had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Pau Gasol scored 16 and grabbed eight of the Lakers' 42 rebounds.
New Orleans pulled down only 25 rebounds in the game. Trevor Ariza led the Hornets with 22 points. Marco Belinelli added 21 and Chris Paul had 20.
The Hornets jumped ahead 32-23 after one quarter, when they shot 83 percent from the field, but trailed 54-51 at the half and were outscored 27-18 in the fourth quarter.
