The Purple & Gold Enter the Bayou

A little voo-doo won't be enough to rock the L.A Lakers. The New Orleans Hornets are gonna need Chris Paul to put up beau coup ("a lot" in French) points to outlast L.A. The battle of the reigning MVP, and last year's runner up (CP3) should be interesting.

The Lakers are joined by the Atlanta Hawks at touting a pristine 6-0 record. In each of those wins, L.A has held its opponent to under 100 points. If L.A can do the same tonight, they will surely be 7-0.

Here are some points to consider in tonight's matchup:

• Trevor Ariza: Have I mentioned this guy lately? lol Well, the Lakers bench is one reason the team has been so successful. Late in the Mavs-Lakers game Tuesday, Ariza blocked Stackhouse as he was pulling up for a three that would have gave the Mavericks a one point lead. Ariza is starting to make L.Odom look less and less valuable.

• Paul is Potent: Offensively, Chris Paul is vicious. Therefore, the Lakers D' has got to be consistent and strong early on. Jordan Farmar and Fisher will be trading off on defending Paul. They struggled guarding J.Kidd Tuesday who managed to put up a triple-double. However, he also had five turnovers. Did I mention, CP3 has put up at least 20pts/10 asst in all six games this season? He's gaining on Jordan who holds the record for 10 straight games of 20pts/10 assts. Don't worry, we'll end that streak tonight.

• Kobe in the 4th: Kobe Bryant is like late breaking news. When he strikes, everyone scrambles. I'm glad the Mamba hasn't had to play as many minutes. But when he steps on the court in the 4th -- It's over. Ariza and Jordan Farmar have stepped up, while Derek Fisher and Radmanovic have yet to impress the masses.

• Bynum vs. Gasol: As excited as I was for Andrew Bynum to return to the lakeshow, I'm still not blown away by his performance thus far. Will he ever be as good as Pau Gasol? Let's hope he turns it up a notch tonight! He just inked a hefty contract of $58 million. Um, check please! Oh yeah, watch for Gasol to throw some bows in the post tonight.

Pick: L.A Lakers (Who else?)

Score: 101-98

Last words? We're taking the bzzzzzz out of those bees in the Bayou...

Hopefully, we'll wake up tomorrow to two unbeaten teams. I hope ATL's Mike Bibby makes it rain on the C's tonight. Enjoy the games!

~Crossy~