The Los Angeles Lakers lost control of their destiny now every game from now will decide whether or not they'll make this season's playoffs. They'll need to take care of business Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at 10 p.m. ET.
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Via ESPN:
Los Angeles (41-37) is coming off its fourth win in five games, 104-96 over New Orleans on Tuesday. That result, combined with Utah's loss to Oklahoma City, moved the Lakers into the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
Tuesday's game saw Los Angeles trailing well into the fourth quarter, during which Bryant scored 23 of his 30 points.
"I really was just trying to pace myself," Bryant said. "I know fatigue comes in when you play so many minutes. So, I really just tried to lay back and manage the game and turn it on at the right time."
Pau Gasol added 22 points to go with 11 rebounds, and Metta World Peace played 15 minutes off the bench in his first game after missing six following left knee surgery.
"We just needed this game," Dwight Howard said after scoring 19 points. "It was intense. We got four games left. We control our own destiny."
Los Angeles now sits one-half game ahead of the Jazz, who own the tiebreaker due to a better head-to-head record. Utah, though, only has three games remaining.
The Lakers, however, are 2-8 on the back end of games on back-to-back nights. While Wednesday's game is their last on the road, the Lakers conclude their schedule against three playoff-bound teams -- Golden State, West-leading San Antonio and Houston.
Los Angeles has won back-to-back meetings and four of five against the Trail Blazers (33-44), but they've lost three straight and 12 of 14 at the Rose Garden. Plus, the most recent meeting went down to the wire even though it was at Staples Center, as the Lakers won 111-107 on Feb. 22.
