Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Hornets Fri. April 22, 2011 9:30 p.m. EST

After the devastating loss to the New Orleans Hornets in Game 1, the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers had a lot of problems that they had to address in order to compete with Chris Paul and company moving forward. With the Hornets’ All-Star point guard dominating the defending champs in the Game 1 with 33 points and 14 assists, the key for the Lakers success would be containing CP3 in Game 2.

Fortunately, Kobe Bryant took it upon himself to shoulder the load and guard Chris Paul in Game 2. The result was promising as Paul was held to 20 points and nine assists. Even though those are still impressive numbers for arguably one of the best point guards in the league, the Lakers were able to get the win and even up the series at 1-1.

The New Orleans Hornets still gave the Los Angeles Lakers a run for their money in Game 2 and threatened to come out with the win, but with Andrew Bynum coming on strong and Lamar Odom showing why he is the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, the Lakers were able to avoid a straight upset.

In Game 3, the first-round series will shift to New Orleans as the Hornets will have a chance to take control of the series with two games on their home floor in the Big Easy. The Lakers are still the favorites to come out on top in this series and advance to the second round, but the Hornets have embraced the underdog role and will be a dangerous team in games three and four.

As of right now, the Los Angeles Lakers have the edge in Game 3 with a -5 point spread. In my opinion, the New Orleans Hornets will play much better on their home floor and taking the Lakeshow wouldn’t be a wise decision in Game 3.

Take the Hornets at +5

Diamond Sportsbook, one of the leading online sportsbooks have the following odds for this matchup:

DSI Sportsbook:
Spread: Los Angeles Lakers -5 & New Orleans Hornets +5
Moneyline: Los Angeles Lakers -230 & New Orleans Hornets +190
Over/Under: Los Angeles Lakers 110 New Orleans Hornets 110 under (183)

Bookmaker Sportsbook:
Spread: Los Angeles Lakers -5 & New Orleans Hornets +5
Moneyline: Los Angeles Lakers -230 & New Orleans Hornets +190
Over/Under: Los Angeles Lakers 110 New Orleans Hornets 110 under (183)

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