LAKERS DOWN 1:56 to go (OT Highlights Complete)

L.A. Lakers 123, Golden State 119
OAKLAND, March 24 (AP) -- After 101 minutes of sensational hoops in two days, the Lakers and the Warriors each emerged with one victory and a common desire to hang on to their respective postseason positions.

If they do, these California rivals will meet again next month - though their playoff series will be hard-pressed to live up to this immensely entertaining miniseries.

Lamar Odom made the go-ahead layup with 9.1 seconds left in overtime, and the Lakers shook off the Warriors' frantic regulation rally to hang on for a 123-119 victory Monday night, avenging their four-point loss one night earlier.

Kobe Bryant scored 23 of his 30 points after halftime while playing with a gash under his left eye, and Odom had 23 points and 21 rebounds as the Lakers reclaimed the Western Conference's top spot and avenged Sunday night's 115-111 defeat.

The Lakers overcame a 26-point deficit before losing at home Sunday, and they blew a nine-point lead late in regulation before rallying to win in Oakland. Both games kept fans riveted, with abrupt momentum swings and all manner of late-game heroics - and, unfortunately, one officiating decision that played a large role in the sequel.

"We felt like we should've won the game last night, but Stephen (Jackson) made a couple of big shots, and tonight we made plays down the stretch,'' said Bryant, who had just two points in overtime under a heavy zone. "They just were not going to let me beat them. We had to trust that we're going to make plays, and we did.''

Los Angeles couldn't have done it without Sasha Vujacic, who scored 19 points and hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left in overtime.

The game felt an awful lot like a playoff preview for the first-place Lakers and the eighth-place Warriors. Nelson kept Davis and Stephen Jackson on the floor the entire night, while Phil Jackson never took Odom out and gave Bryant just 65 seconds on the bench even after he got hit in the face inadvertently by Davis, causing a cut that required five postgame stitches.

Fisher scored 18 points for the Lakers, whose fourth win in five games put them a half-game ahead of New Orleans for the top seed in next month's playoffs. Los Angeles also avoided losing its season series to the Warriors for the first time since the 1994-95 season.

After Davis' tying free throws with 3.6 seconds left in regulation sent it to overtime, the game turned when the Warriors set up to inbound the ball at midcourt after Odom's layup. Delaney called an offensive foul when Ellis and Fisher got mutually tangled, and the Lakers then got two clinching free throws from Bryant with 3.3 seconds to play - his only points of overtime

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• 123
• 119
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• march
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• 2008

[heyvoon316]

Warriors announcers are such homers, they didnt stop bitching about the refs in overtime.

[MichaelJordandan]

LAKERS CLINCH PlAYOFF :)

[Kenny1984]

Warriors fucking sucks. Yall going to move soon

[hambeezy12]

they are obviously from the bay area and are sore ass losers

[do7mike23]

but its nbatv

[1CVLS3]

the commentator is more excited cuz its nba bay area meaning its people from there side

not fox sports west

[FunkyFreshGuru]

if you live in the bay area you hear these commenters if you don't you hear the la ones

[royalkunia]

why is the commenter more excited when the warriors score!??! fuck him

[vika01]

vujasish

[kobebryant417]

did u say we wont make it past round 2? lol where the hell r we rit now? we no ur golden ass warriors didnt even make it in the playoffs did they?????????????

[DallasCowboys6782]

warriors didnt own shit warriors didnt even make the playoffs dum fuck while lakers clinched first and are undefeated

[RSIWuzHacked]

Sasha Vuja"sish" Lol.