Despite playing without both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol on Sunday night for the second consecutive game, the Lakers coasted to a startlingly one-sided 104-88 victory. Bryant scored 26 of his 28 points in the first half, taking a seat on the bench for good early in the fourth quarter with his team comfortably ahead by 22.

"We were surprised it was like this," Bryant said. "This was a game we believed was going to be a really tough game. I think because of that everyone's antennas were up and everybody was extremely focused and ready to go."

It's difficult to believe that only two years ago the Hornets had the look of perennial contenders when they battled the Lakers until the final two games of the regular season in the race for the conference's best record. They've tumbled swiftly since then, falling for the fifth time in seven games on Sunday after meekly bowing out of the playoffs a year ago in the first round against Denver.

As mortifying as it had to be for New Orleans to lose by 17 at home against Toronto on Friday night, that was just a warmup for Sunday's humiliation. The Hornets trailed by 10 after one quarter, by 13 at halftime and by 27 less than six minutes into the third, enough to leave star Chris Paul struggling to manage any semblance of optimistic spin afterward.

"We're missing our defense and ability to score," Paul said. "It's a long season. We've got to try to fix it. I don't know what else to say."

When Lakers coach Phil Jackson tried to explain how the Hornets have fallen so far so fast, he suggested that stars Paul and David West don't have the caliber of supporting cast that they once did. The departure of Tyson Chandler, Rasual Butler and Jannero Pargo and the demise of aging Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson have crippled New Orleans' defense and three-point shooting, forcing Paul and West to shoulder more of the load.

Certainly the Hornets had no single player capable of containing Bryant, who once again did most of his damage from the high post. He backed down 6-foot-5 Devin Brown in the first half and made 10 of 16 shots, admitting after the game, "It's really easy."

Bryant became more of a decoy in the third quarter when the Hornets consistently double-teamed him, kicking the ball out to teammates who swung the ball around the perimeter for open looks. Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown each hit threes during a 17-3 run to open the third quarter, extending a 13-point halftime lead to 27.

Brown scored 15 points and Luke Walton had 11, highlighting a rare 46-point barrage from the Lakers bench. D.J. Mbenga posted his first-career double-double in relief of Bynum and Gasol, with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

"You either double Kobe and he feeds other guys or you don't and he scores 40 on you," Walton said. "Either way it works out pretty well for us."