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Stojakovic, Paul stellar as Hornets remain perfect

Nov 7, 2007 - 8:08 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Peja Stojakovic's sharpshooting skills were on full display.

Stojakovic scored 36 points and connected on 10 3-pointers as the New Orleans Hornets remained perfect with Tuesday's 118-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Chris Paul was also on top of his game for the Hornets, handing out an eye-popping career-high 21 assists. His previous best was 18 against Chicago on December 2, 2006.

"It is a huge difference when I am pushing the ball up the court," said Paul, who scored 19 points. "I'm thinking 'get to the basket,' and I know that Peja is going to stop at that 3-point line."

"(Paul's) a fantastic player," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said. "He is really something."

Stojakovic made 12-of-21 shots overall, including 10-of-13 from the arc to bounce back after Sunday's five-point output against Denver. It was the most 3-pointers made in his 10-year career.

"I just felt good. My teammates were looking for me," Stojakovic said. "I think we played better basketball as a team. We wanted to secure our defensive end and we were able to do that."

With the game tied at 78-78 in the third quarter, New Orleans used an 11-3 surge led by Stojakovic's three 3-pointers during the run to forge a nine-point edge going into the final period.

"I knew if we got out and ran (in the third quarter) they would be in trouble," Paul said. "And the only way we can run is to make stops. When we defend, I think we are one of the good teams in the league."

Andrew Bynum's layup at the 3:14 mark helped the Lakers pull within 102-96. But Paul converted a three-point play and Stojakovic drilled a shot from the arc to make it a 12-point lead.

"A 4-0 start is a good start, but there are still 78 to go," Paul said. "We have a really talented team and, hopefully, we can stay healthy and, hopefully, we can improve our game during the season."

"What you have to do is settle their defenses, and we couldn't give them wide-open looks," Bryant said. "Every shot has to be contested."

Bryant paced Los Angeles with 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting. He also contributed seven assists and six boards.

Ronny Turiaf had 15 points and seven rebounds and Jordan Farmar and Vladimir Radmanovic each scored 11 for the Lakers, who could have injured forward Lamar Odom back in the lineup on Friday.