With a nail-biting 99-98 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers moved to .500 for the first time since late December.
Kobe Bryant rattled home a driving layup under traffic to put L.A. up by one with nine seconds remaining, and Steve Blake intercepted a Josh Smith pass in the waning moments to improve the Lakers to 30-30.
They are now just 2.5 games behind the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz for eighth place in the West.
Al Horford continued his recent torrid pace with 24 points on 12-of-20 shooting with five rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Kyle Korver and Devin Harris combined for 32 points off the bench, but it wasn't enough for Atlanta, which dropped to 33-25 on the season.
For a complete look at the entire box score, check out NBA.com.
Player of the Game: Kobe Bryant
Dwight Howard (11 points, 15 rebounds) and Steve Nash (15 points, 10 assists) posted double-doubles, but this game belonged to Kobe, who was incredibly fired up all night (case in point: his buzzer-beater, chest pound and spit to end the third quarter).
That intensity carried over to the crucial, back-and-forth final period, as Bryant scored 11 of Los Angeles' 20 fourth-quarter points, including the game-winner, and finished with 34 to go with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Atlanta made a nice comeback in the second half, and the Lakers likely wouldn't have weathered the storm without their veteran star.
Up Next for Atlanta
The Hawks travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Monday night.
Up Next for Los Angeles
It won't be easy for the Lakers to hold on to their newfound .500 record. They travel to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on Tuesday night.
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