Something tells me the league will make a statement about a certain missed call in the coming day or two.
Regardless of how it happened, though, the Lakers still came away with a much-needed victory, thanks to spectacular efforts from Bryant and Howard (although his seven-of-17 free-throw shooting nearly cost the game). Bryant finished the night with 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting and seven assists, while Howard was a monster with 25 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and five blocks.
Also showing up for this one was Pau Gasol, who broke out with 17 points on eight-of-12 shooting and nine rebounds, after scoring just 11 points in the two previous contests combined. Here is what the power forward had to say after the game:
Consistent games from Kobe and Dwight is a given, but if the Lakers can get more games like this from Gasol, they just may be good enough to hold off the Mavericks and Jazz to squeeze into the playoffs.
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