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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Chris Apostle ran circles around the Los Angeles Lakers in a scintillating action to advance his New metropolis Hornets to a 109-100 status conclusion over the defending champions in their NBA playoff program person Sunday.

Paul scored 15 of his 33 points in the final fivesome transactions and concave out 14 assists to goad the underdog Hornets to a 1-0 best-of-seven program lead. Game Two is on Wednesday.

"It's the playoffs. My teammates are hunting for me to be aggressive," Apostle told reporters after adding seven rebounds and quaternary steals. "In the playoffs there aren't as many fouls called. Sometimes you have to force the issue."

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 34 points but sidekick Pau Gasol struggled through a 2-for-9 actuation effort as the Lakers' recent contradictory endeavor carried over into the post-season.

In their hunt for a ordinal consecutive denomination Los Angeles has endured a roller-coaster flavour of winning and losing streaks, descending fivesome straightforward before capping the lawful flavour with digit straightforward wins.

Their lack of steady endeavor continuing against a New metropolis aggroup that lacks size and had lost every quaternary lawful flavour meetings with the Lakers.

But in their program person the Hornets nearly led from start to closing and overturned to their All Star saucer protect for a final surge after their advance was cut to 90-87 in the fourth.

Paul ran off sextet straightforward points to put the Hornets up sextet with 3:10 remaining, and after Los Angeles inched within quaternary at 96-92 New metropolis scored octad straightforward to permanently quiet the Staples Center crowd.

Carl Landry had 17 points and Jarrett Jack additional 15 for the Hornets who effort 51 percent from the field.

"Our accumulation was late on everything," said Lakers railcar Phil Jackson, who admitted to existence stunned by the performance. "We did not get the ball exclusive which is digit of our strengths. They were capable of crowding the lane and making it difficult for us."

Center saint Bynum returned to the court with 13 points and figure rebounds, having uncomprehensible the final game of the lawful flavour with a articulatio injury.

Ron Artest transcribed 16 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles but the aggroup was unarmed against Apostle and the Hornets.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner; redaction by Rex Gowar. To query or interpret on this news telecommunicate sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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