Lakers on top, beat Spurs

Los Angeles is now first in the Western Conference

Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Summit Daily Photos Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, right, scores a basket under the block of San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan during the second quarter of a basketball game in Los Angeles. Bryant finished with 20 points and the Lakers won 106-85. AP Photo Get Sports Feeds

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 13, 2008

Comments
Print Email

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Lakers took sole possession of the Western Conference lead Sunday. Keeping it might be a different matter, even if they win their only remaining regular-season game.

MVP candidate Kobe Bryant had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists before sitting out the fourth quarter, and the Lakers routed the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs 106-85 for their seventh win in eight games.

"It was a big game for us," Bryant said. "It was another step in the right direction. Going into the playoffs is all about momentum. Now, we just have to take it up another notch once the playoffs start."

The Lakers (56-25), who clinched their first Pacific Division championship in four years and at least the No. 3 seed in the West on Friday night, need to beat visiting Sacramento on Tuesday night and have Houston lose at least one of its final three games to earn the conference's No. 1 seed.

Should Los Angeles and Houston tie for the conference title, the Rockets get the No. 1 seed because of a 2-1 record against the Lakers. Houston was scheduled to play Sunday night at Denver and Monday night at Utah before finishing at home Wednesday night against the Clippers.

Should the Lakers tie for the conference lead with Houston and New Orleans, the Rockets would be first, the Hornets second and the Lakers third based on how the three teams fared against each other.

"We know we have to win out the sequence, and that there's no definite," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "It's still our responsibility to finish this the right way. And that was our message in the locker room after the game. Fortunately for us, we got some rest, got some guys who had a little bit of time to recover before Tuesday night."