LAst Night's Action: Kobe's Rise, Trojan's Fall

Lakers 111, Hornets 105 - Kobe continued to flaunt has superiority in the face of March Madness, talking before the game about how honored he was to be discussed in the same "bracket" as Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Elgin Baylor. After the game, he moved from the final four to the championship. While Michael and Elgin scored 50+ points in three straight games, Kobe has now done it in four (65, 50, 60, 50). Wilt holds the record with seven. You could say he's the top seed. Just as significant to the Lakers, they beat New Orleans (a/k/a Oklahoma City) for their fourth consecutive win and are comfortably in the sixth seed. With a healthy lineup, the Lakers could pose a real playoff threat.

Tar Heels 74, Trojans 64 - Sixteen wasn't so sweet in the land of Troy. Despite dominating early on and controlling the game by 16 points in the second half, USC fell to UNC. The Tar Heels went on an 18-0 run, and controlled the offensive rebounding. Maybe they won it for their mascot. As for the Trojans, they did look flashy with a barrage of dunks and seem like they're ready for next season with OJ slashing down the court. That's incoming freshman OJ Mayo. Who were you thinking of?

Clippers 104, Jazz 72 - The Clippers outplayed the Jazz in a game featuring one team with a commanding lead in their division and another that is barely holding onto a playoff spot. The score wouldn't suggest it, but it's Utah that's all but locked up a playoff spot. Both Brand (11) and Kaman (14) hit double digits in rebounds.

Kings 2, Blackhawks 1 - It's easy to misinterpret this score. The Kings still suck. Chicago just sucks a little more.

Ducks 3, Stars 2, OT - Anaheim clinched a postseason birth by beating division rival Dallas. They also set team records for wins (44) and points (100), both of which had been set just last season.

AP photo by Alex Brandon.