With 27 ticks remaining, Kobe ignored Shane Battier's obstructing hand to hit a three and put his boys up by a pair, capping a thirteen point fourth quarter.  That triumphant finish didn't appear in the cards for Kobe during most of the night, but as Phil Jackson noted afterward, necessity is often the mother of invention.

       "Need," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of Bryant's rally after a cold start. "It sends him to a different level."

Before those heroics, the game was mostly about keeping things tight.  Defensive mistakes were countered by limiting the turnovers to seven, which prevented even further damage.  Pau Gasol struggled to score and Andrew Bynum dealt with foul trouble, but the Lakers got a brilliant night from Trevor Ariza (6-7 shooting for 14 points, plus 5 boards, three assists, a steal and a lot of havoc) and an emotional boost from Lamar Odom, who played through some pain to help his shorthanded squad.  Gritting and bearing it is nothing new for LO (Think back to his busted shoulder/knee tendinitis 2007 playoffs against Phoenix), nor anything he plans to ever trumpet himself over.

"What the (expletive)," Odom said afterward, still sitting in front of his locker and wearing nothing but dried sweat, a towel and two icepacks after many of his teammates had already left the arena. "That's what being a sportsman is all about. You're going to play banged up sometimes."

Victory in the books, it's off to San Antonio for a game against the Spurs and a trip down Controversy Lane.

OTHER NOTES

• LeBron's got some kind of announcement to make.  The Blowtorch is speculating!
• Even injured, Monta Ellis is taking a more vocal leadership role with the Warriors.  Some wonder if an ulterior motive is at play. 
• It's been a tough year- and career- for Eddy Curry.
• The Magic set an NBA record for treys made in a game, humiliating the Kings in the process.
• Former Trojan Nick Young is filling it up for the Wiz.  Former Bruin Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is surprising everyone in Milwaukee.
• AI or Rip needs to be told to play off the bench soon.  Fun times for Michael Curry, even though Rip's already given his blessings if he's the chosen one.
• Mark Cuban is gunning to get J.R. Smith suspended. Then again, Young Rich has some bigger problems of his own.
• Darius Miles is one game away from killing the Blazers' cap. In the meantime, the Blazers weren't fined for trying to prevent their cap from getting killed.