Lakers Claim Top Western Conference Spot

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - Pau Gasol scored 22 points as the Los Angeles Lakers secured the top spot in the Western Conference and home-court advantage throughout the postseason with a 124-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

MVP-candidate Kobe Bryant overcame a rough shooting night to finish with 20 points as the Lakers closed out the regular-season with four straight victories. This is the 14th time in franchise history that the Lakers have secured the No. 1 seed, netting a total of seven NBA crowns in the process. The last time it happened was in 2000 - and a title ensued. "We talked about it in training camp - our goal was to win the championship," Bryant said.

Los Angeles (57-25) owns a half-game lead and a tiebreaker in the standings over the New Orleans Hornets (56-25), who conclude their season on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.