The New Orleans Hornets defeated the Chicago Bulls 89-82 by demonstrating fine team work Saturday.
Greivis Vasquez, who was pretty impressive in the previous game, contributed with 18 points for the Hornets.
The Hornets played well in the absence of their No. 1 draft pick, Anthony Davis.
''That's the big thing about a team game. Everybody came together and everybody stepped it up,'' The Associated Press quoted Lopez as saying.
Lopez and Jason Smith contributed with 16 points each for the Hornets. Ryan Anderson scored 12 points and 13 rebounds. New Orleans hit 20 of 23 free throws to for an emphatic win over the Bulls.
For the Bulls, it was Luol Deng who scored 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Nate Robinson contributed with 15 points and Marco Belinelli added another 13 points.
New Orleans trailed by 7 points in the second quarter and led by 10 points in the third. Robinson made it pretty tough for them and the match went all the way down the stretch.
With just 1:16 minutes left, Robinson's jumper made it 81-77, and the Bulls had a great opportunity to make it a one-possession game after Smith was blocked by Taj Gibson. Belinelli, however, missed a 3.
Smith extended the lead to 83-77 after hitting two free throws with just 53.5 seconds remaining. Roger Mason further extended it to 85-77 after adding two more.
''We don't get a lot of credit or notoriety for being a physical team, but that's something we've prided ourselves on since I've been here, was to play a physical style of basketball, legally. I don't think we out-worked them, I just think the ball came our way a few times and it was just a major battle in that paint. Anytime you play against Chicago, a team that (Tom Thibodeau) is gonna coach, you know you're gonna play a team that is gonna hit you right in the mouth,'' Hornets coach Monty Williams said.
Anthony Davis has been ruled out after he sustained an injury to his head when teammate Austin Rivers accidentally elbowed him at the Hornet's win over Utah on Friday.
Williams is apparently unhappy about the NBA's protocol that determines when a player could return from a concussion. ''Now, they (NBA) treat everybody like they have white gloves and pink drawers and it's getting old. It's just the way the league is now,'' he said.
The Hornets, however, played very well despite not having Davis on Saturday.
''You see how guys came in with high motors, understood that this is their time to get their minutes. This league is all about guys stepping up. You saw Robin Lopez and Ryan Anderson, guys coming in with a high motor, gaining confidence early and playing well,'' Chicago's Taj Gibson said.
The Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, meanwhile, stated that the team's approach to defensive transition was not good.
''The thing that bothered me was our approach to defensive transition. When you're not shooting well, you can't allow that to sap your energy in terms of getting back, setting your defense,'' he said.
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