the Lakers' 106-88 win over the Clippers.  You wouldn't guess by just checking out the box score, but the game's first half featured a considerably closer contest.  In fact, the Lakers actually drank their halftime Gatorade down four points, the results of some raggedy O and a pressing D often left vulnerable to primo red, white and blue ball movement.  But life is often about trending upward and/or downward- the latter describes this supposed "rivalry" of late- and in the second half, both teams saw their current, respective trajectories continue in a path uninterrupted. 

Issues putting the ball through the net were offset by strong work on the boards (Andrew Bynum tied a career best 17), strong work from Lamar Odom off the bench (15/9, 3 steals, 2 blocks) and a defense that turned increasingly relentless.  Hence, a stretch of six minutes where the Clips were stuck at 81 points.  In a game short often short on proficiency, when it mattered the most, the Lakers rediscovered the newly improved defensive identity they're looking to forge this season. 

As Phil Jackson put it afterward, "We saved the best for last, so to speak."