Kobe, Lakers hold off New Orleans in most important game of the season

The Lakers entered the game by trailing New Orleans by one game in the final week of the regular season. By beating the Hornets, they knew they would move toward the n°1 seed.

L.A seemed to send a message to the Western conference leaders, outscoring New Orleans 39-20 in the opening quarter and leading by as many as 30pts. The Lakers didn't kept this pace until the end though. 
Lead by MVP candidate Chris Paul (15pts 17asts) and Peja Stojakovic (24pts - 6threes), the Hornets came within one with less than 4 minutes to go in the game. L.A managed to escape and get a 107-104 victory to move in sole possession of the n°1 seed. They own the tiebreaker with New Orleans by having a better record vs teams from their conference.

This huge matchup was also the opportunity to watch the final hed-to-head between the two MVP front runners: KB24 & CP4. Even if the award won't be decided on one game, it could stop the "debate".
Paul struggled early from the field and didn't made his first basket until the third quarter. But his 15pts & 17asts were enough to spark New Orleans' big come back. Kobe nearly had a triple double, posting 29pts 10rbds & 8asts - his big plays came early in the 4th: a double pump reverse jam which brought the fans out of their seats and MVP chants for long minutes.

The Lakers clinched the Pacific division title for the 1st time since 2004, the last season where they reached the NBA finals. "It’s good to be No. 1. This was the first step. We want to take another one Sunday”, said Kobe - refering to L.A other big game vs San Antonio.