LAst Night's Action: Kobe Not Enough

Bobcats 133, Lakers 124, 3OT - Kobe Bryant proved that there's no "i" in team, and there was no victory in Charlotte. Despite pouring in 58 points (third highest total in his career), Kobe blew the game in the final 1:14 of triple overtime. First, he fouled Derek Anderson on a three point attempt, allowing Anderson to hit all three free-throws and put the Bobcats up by five. On the ensuing drive, he missed a jumper. The next possession, he was whistled for charging and fouled out of the game. Kobe wasn't happy with the foul calls after the game, but maybe he was just tired and cranky after playing so much extra time.

Clippers 102, Kings 93 - Before Friday night, the Clippers had lost 7 of their last 9 and 14 of 20, not to mention 14 in a row against Sacramento. After the game, the Clippers improved to 13-16, which would give them sole possession of first place if they played in the Atlantic (we love this story line). The game featured a matchup of trade prospects Corey Maggette (21 points for the Clippers) and Ron Artest (only 5 points for the Kings).

Flames 6, Kings 4 - Kobe scored 58 points, but the Kings still lost to the Flames in Calgary. Lubomir Visnovsky scored two goals for Los Angeles, but they were never able to get a lead in the game. Each team scored two goals in a furious final two minutes of the game. Both of the Flames' were scored on an empty net by Kristian Huselius.

Hurricanes 4, Ducks 2 - Anaheim's top two goalies were watching from the bench with injuries as Carolina scored three goals against the Ducks. Rookie Michael Wall joined them in the final seconds as the Ducks, like the Kings, played the final minutes with an empty net. The strategy backfired for both local teams, as Carolina notched their fourth goal to put the game away. Did we mention Kobe scored 58 points?

AP photo by Chuck Burton.