No Kobe no problem for the Lakers on Sunday night.
The Los Angeles Lakers are squeezing their way into the play-offs in the Western Conference and survived without Kobe Bryant in the 91-86 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
The win now moves them 1 1/2 games ahead of the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final play-off spot in the West, with a battling display in the absence of their biggest star.
Dwight Howard had a game-high 26 points as well as 17 rebounds, while Steve Blake added 23 points of his own.
For the Spurs, Tim Duncan led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but it was a disappointing night for point guard Tony Parker who finished the game with just 4 points on 1-for-10 shooting,
Duncan passed Charles Barkley for 22nd on the list of all-time NBA scorers but it now looks highly unlikely that the Spurs will take back the No.1 seed in the West.
They take on the Golden State Warriors on Monday, while the Lakers go in search of another big win when they wrap up the regular season against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
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