Bryant, Lakers Roar Back Against Hornets, 108-102 No matter how bad this season may look by the Lakers' lofty standards, it should be obvious by now that Kobe Bryant isn't remotely close to giving up. Bryant scored 13 of his 42 points during a 20-0 run in the last 6:22 of the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles overcame a 25-point deficit to fend off the New Orleans Hornets, 108-102 on Wednesday night. The vintage performance featured about every shot in Bryant's extensive repertoire, from off-balance jumpers angling way from the hoop, to quick-strike transition 3-pointers, to driving layups as he was fouled. He also kept his teammates involved with 12 assists, and by the time the stirring comeback was complete, the Lakers had not only staved off potential embarrassment, but also emerged increasingly confident about their playoff chances. "I believed we were going to win it the whole time," Bryant said. The most important thing for me was to bring my teammates along with me. I had to force the game upon them a little bit and change the momentum and get everybody believing we could do this together. The Hornets were still ahead by 21 in the final minute of the third quarter when Greivis Vasquez's 3-pointer made it 93-72, and even after the Lakers had whittled their deficit to 12, the Hornets went up 102-88 on Robin Lopez's dunk with 6:47 to go. But the Hornets would not score again, and Bryant, who also had 12 assists, began to take over with help from Jodie Meeks, who hit two of his five 3-pointers during the final surge to finish with 19 points. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) drives to the basket past New Orleans Hornets forward Al-Farouq Aminu, behind, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, March 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Close "This game brought us closer together as a team," said Dwight Howard, who had 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, including a key rejection of Lopez's attempted game-tying shot in the final 30 seconds. This is what it takes when you're playing for the playoffs and then when you're in the playoffs, fighting through games like this and it just shows our character. We had a tough one last night, we started out on a bad note tonight, but instead of giving up, we kept fighting until the end. Bryant, who injured his right elbow in a loss at Oklahoma City on Tuesday night but played through it to score 30, scored 25 points in the second half in New Orleans. He had 18 in the final quarter as the Lakers (31-31) pulled back to .500 and remained within 1 1/2 games of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Bryant's driving layup with 1:34 left tied it at 102. He then pulled up for a 10-foot fade to put the Lakers ahead with 36 seconds left. "It's tough games like this that really strengthen the bond between us players and that's really what the playoffs is about," Bryant said. You have adversity. It's about who's going to stick together and who's not going to break. Metta World Peace added 11 points for the Lakers, many of whom lingered in the locker room after the game, along with coach Mike D'Antoni, to watch Dallas hold on to beat Houston - another result that helped Los Angeles. "It was a big win tonight and it will be a nice ride home," D'Antoni said. Then Friday you have to play another game (against Toronto). Eric Gordon scored 18 for New Orleans but missed all five shots in the fourth quarter. Vasquez had 15 points and 12 assists, but missed all six of his shots in the final period. Ryan Anderson scored 14, while Lopez had 13 points and 11 rebounds.