After Bryant's 12 first-quarter points put the Lakers ahead early, Los Angeles scored the final eight points of the first half to take a 59-45 lead. Phoenix had just five assists on its 17 first-half field goals - nine fewer baskets than the Lakers.

After Odom's alley-oop to Bryant put the Lakers up 80-55 in the third, Shannon Brown punctuated the win with consecutive high-flying dunks in the lane midway through the fourth quarter, putting Los Angeles up by 26.

NOTES: Lakers coach Phil Jackson earned his 1,048th victory, tying Charlotte's Larry Brown for fifth-most in NBA history. ... Gentry and Jackson both expressed surprise at New Orleans coach Byron Scott's firing earlier in the day. Los Angeles and the Suns both routed the Hornets in the past week, but both coaches thought Scott had earned more time to figure out his club's rotation. ... Richardson and Los Angeles' Sasha Vujacic got offsetting technical fouls 4.3 seconds before halftime for a confrontation after Richardson's hard foul on Bryant. ... The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Zac Efron, Heather Locklear, George Lopez and Eliza Dushku were among the courtside celebrities.