Lakers 97, Wolves 88

MINNEAPOLIS -- The West is won. The Lakers took care of business tonight, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves and clinching the top record in the Western Conference for the third consecutive season. They will have home-court advantage for the first three rounds of the playoffs. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers have a better record overall. the Lakers sealed the deal thanks to Pau Gasol scoring 29 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Lamar Odom added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Farmar also scored 13. Ron Artest, Shannon Brown and DJ Mbenga each scored 11 points. It was a career high for the seldom-used Mbenga. Jonny Flynn had 19 points for Minnesota. Kevin Love added 12 points and 18 rebounds.