Los Angeles Lakers Win Western Conference

The Los Angeles Lakers can go to sleep tonight knowing they’re the best team in the Western Conference.
Pau Gasol scored 22 points and Kobe Bryant had 20 - before both sat out the fourth quarter - as the Lakers destroyed the Sacramento Kings 124-101 on Tuesday night to clinch the top spot in the Western Conference.

“The Western Conference has been brutal all season, so it’s pretty special to have the best record,” said Bryant “It’s an amazing accomplishment for us.”

Gasol, who came over to the Lakers from Memphis in February, was thrilled to be a major factor in clinching their first conference banner since the 1999-2000 NBA championship season. 

“It feels good, we worked hard for it and we earned it,” said Gasol, who hit nine-of-11 floor shots and grabbed seven rebounds. “I’m ready to get this thing going and to face another real challenge. Now the real fun starts.”

Though the Lakers have home-court advantage through the first three rounds of the playoffs, they won’t know until Wednesday night whether they open up on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets or Dallas Mavericks.