nba roundup Thursday’s games

Lakers 98, Hornets 80

NEW ORLEANS

Kobe Bryant scored 22 of his 24 points in the first three quarters, then let his Lakers teammates take over in a dominant victory over the New Orleans Hornets that clinched the series for Los Angeles in six games. Andrew Bynum added 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Pau Gasol chipped in 16 points for the two-time defending champions, who led by as much as 21 in the fourth quarter to provide an anticlimactic ending to what had been a more exciting series than many expected. Chris Paul, who helped the Hornets split the first four games with two sensational performances, wasn’t able to deliver the Hornets a third victory. He finished with 10 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Trevor Ariza scored 12 points for New Orleans and Marco Belinelli 11.

Hawks 84, Magic 81

ATLANTA

Joe Johnson scored 23 points and came up with a huge offensive rebound, leading the Atlanta Hawks to victory in Game 6, knocking Orlando Magic out of the playoffs. The Hawks, who won the series 4-2, advanced to the second round for the third straight year, this time against top-seeded Chicago. The Magic, who routed Atlanta a year ago in the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history, head into an uncertain offseason after their earliest playoff ouster since 2007. With Atlanta clinging to a one-point lead and the clock running down, Marvin Williams missed a clinching 3-pointer. But Johnson swatted the rebound to Jamal Crawford, who was fouled and made both free throws with 8.2 seconds left.

Associated Press