The Los Angeles Lakers were cruising to a win over the Kings tonight, but a funny thing happened on the way to a victory in Sacramento. The Lakers led by 22 points in the fourth quarter, but gave it all back, even falling behind in the closing minutes. However, Kobe Bryant hit a tying three-pointer with 4.8 second remaining, and the Lakers cruised in overtime, beating the Kings 116-108 in perhaps the final game ever in Sacramento.
The Lakers clinched the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, and will host the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 36 points, grabbed nine boards, and dished out six assists for the Lakers, who finished the regular season at 57-25. Lamar Odom had 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while Pau Gasol scored 18 points, had 13 rebounds, and six assists on the night.
Matt Thornton led Sacramento with 36 points in defeat. The Lakers amazingly had six players play all 82 games this season: Bryant, Gasol, Odom, Ron Artest, Derek Fisher, and Shannon Brown. The Lakers open their playoff series with the Hornets on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. PDT at Staples Center.
For more news and information about the Lakers, or on tonight's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Silver Screen and Roll.