Los Angeles Lakers 121, Golden State 117, OT: The Lakers blew a nine-point lead late in the fourth, and then got a lucky call in the waning seconds that helped them salvage a split in the back-to-back home and home. Leading by two with four seconds left, the Warriors were inbounding the ball and the ref called Monta Ellis for an offensive foul. Weak. Lamar Odom had 23 points, 21 rebounds and five blocks; Baron Davis had 30 and Stephen Jackson pumped in 29. All three played the entire 53 minutes.

Detroit 110, OT, Phoenix 105: Mr. Big Shot scored nine points in overtime as the Pistons – playing without Rip Hamilton – snapped the Suns 7-game winning streak. Amare had 33, but Phoenix fell 1.5 games behind the Lakers, who won. Teams we’re rooting for to win the West: 1) Phoenix, 2) Golden State, 3) Denver.

Philadelphia 95, Boston 90: The Celtics have lost two in a row, which means it has to be the chemistry. Iggy had 28 points (including this nice jam) and amazingly, the 76ers are now the 6th seed in the East, which would pit them against Orlando in the first round. Philly’s 1-2 against the Magic (currently 3rd) this year, but actually could surge as high as fifth in the East, seeing as they are just one game behind the Wiz.

Denver 120, Memphis 106: JR Smith pumped in 29 points off the bench, and helped lighten the load of Melo (23) and AI (26). Neat Smith story: While researching a potential book on him several years ago, we attended his State Championship game during his senior year. The opposing team was led by Joakim Noah. Smith – who was a dazzling dunking machine back then – got two technicals and was tossed, and Noah was incredibly dominant in leading his team to victory. Pretty intense game.

Houston 108, Sacramento 100: Here’s how tight the West is – according to the AP, the Rockets entered the night fifth in the conference, but just one game back of first. With the victory, they leapfrogged Phoenix and San Antonio, and are now in third.