LAst Night's Action: Ball Hog Scores 20,000

Lakers 95, Knicks 90 - Kobe Bryant had 20,019 points on 15,314 shots (plus 6,184 from the charity stripe) last night. Not bad for a guy under the age of 30 ... The Kobster was actually 14-of-28 for 39 points (plus 11 rebounds and 8 assists), but in the process became the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 20,000 career points mark. Bryant raved about playing in Madison Square Garden and said the Knicks were one of four teams he would be willing to play for outside of the Lakers ... Los Angeles is 8-2 in their last 10 and just 2.5 games behind San Antonio for the top record in the West ... "The Times has learned that Kobe Bryant is now happy and committed to the Lakers forever or until they lose five in a row, whichever comes first."

Toilet Bowl - In case you missed it, BYU knocked off UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday by a narrow 17-16 margin. How did a 280 pound lineman jump to block what would have been the game-winning field goal? He didn't -- he just pushed the earth down. DeWayne Walker filled in as the Bruin's interim head coach, and the defensive guru's troops hung tough to limit the Cougars to 265 yards of offense and no second dates. Karl Dorrell watched back home in the state of unemployment.

Elsewhere - Reporter interviews Coach KooKoo ... Legal evidence that college football is probably the most important thing in this country ... Morten Anderson still alive and kicking ... David Beckham is heading back across the pond ... Australian rugby player swallows beer cap ... The internet is a great place to experiment. Here's a lesson learned in what not to do. Nice try, Bob. We hope it got you laid or something.

Today's Action - As is customary, no games are being played on the day before Christmas so that guys can start their holiday shopping without any distractions.

AP photo by Kathy Willens.