Once again, the Nets hung tough with one of the best teams in the league. And once again, they came up a little short. The Lakers led by 14 midway through the second quarter at the IZOD Center Friday night, but the Nets got back in the game with a 11-2 run and were down just two at halftime. They tied it early in the third, but the Lakers immediately responded with a 16-0 run and went up by as many as 22 late in the period. The Nets came back again, cutting that 22-point lead all the way down to three midway through the fourth, but they never got a chance to tie it again. Vince Carter led the Nets with 20 points on 8-15 shooting, while Devin Harris returned to action with 13 points, six rebounds and 14 assists. Brook Lopez finished with a double-double and Jarvis Hayes scored 19 points off the bench. But the Nets couldn't keep track of Pau Gasol, who led the Lakers with 36 points and 11 rebounds. The Nets outrebounded the Lakers 48-37, but committed 22 turnovers and shot just 8-17 from the line.
- Boxscore - NBA.com
- Game Highlights - Lakers 103, Nets 95 (Video) - NBA.com
- Gasol scores 36 as Lakers clinch top seed in West - Tom Canavan - AP
- Nets unable to get late stops, fall to Lakers, 103-95 - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
- Yi Jianlian says confidence is 'getting low' - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
- Post Game Plus (Video) - Nancy Newman - YES Network
- Lawrence Frank Press Conference (Video) - YES Network
- Vince Carter Press Conference (Video) - YES Network
- From the Booth (Video) - Marv Albert & Jim Spanarkel - YES Network
- Playoff hopes keep slip slidin' away - Al Iannazzone - The Nets Insider
- Harris returns but Nets can't stop Lakers - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Nets struggle on boards down the stretch - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Nets fall, Lakers are No.1 in West - Julian Garcia - New York Daily News
- Harris' return wasted - Al Iannazzone - The Record
- Kobe Bryant gets a scare in Lakers victory - Mike Bresnahan - Los Angeles Times
- Lakers' Phil Jackson hasn't decided about next season - Mike Bresnahan - Los Angeles Times
- How the West was won: Lakers wrap up Conference - Elliot Teaford - Los Angeles Daily News
- Lakers coach Jackson unimpressed with personal milestone - Elliot Teaford - Los Angeles Daily News
- Kobe Can't Knock Off Nets, But Pau Power Lakers - Ben Couch - New Jersey Nets
- Laker GameDay - Los Angeles Lakers
- Play of the Day: Kobe Bryant (Video) - NBA.com
- Dunk of the Night: Vince Carter (Video) - NBA.com
- Nightly Notable: Pau Gasol (Video) - NBA.com
- Photo Gallery: Lakers 105, Nets 98 - Bill Kostroun - AP