NBA Triple Threat: Your daily roundup of last night's action in the Association.

Los Angeles 105 Phoenix 92 The Lakers showed tonight that they are the team to beat in the Western Conference and that was with Kobe bringing his C+ game at best. Kobe scored 24 points on only 8-23 shooting but it was the supporting cast that carried the Lakers. Vladimir Radmanovic hit 5-5 three's while Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, and Jordan Farmar combined for 34 points off the bench as the Lakers pushed a 6 point halftime lead to 13 at the end of the 3rd quarter and it was over. The Lakers were able to run up and down the floor on the Suns and used their youth and athleticism to wear down the older, more experienced Suns. Amare Stoudemire led the way for the Suns with 21 points and 8 rebounds while Shaq added 15 and 9.

Boston 98 Detroit 80 In the big game in the East tonight, the Celtics showed that they are still the team to beat in the East as they phyiscally dominated the Pistons. The Celtics led by 9 at half and 20 at the end of the 3rd quarter as they crusied to a blowout win over the Pistons. Paul Pierce struggled all night scoring only 9 points on 2-9 shooting but it was Rajon Rondo who had 18 points and 8 assists and clearly outplayed Allen Iverson all night. The Pistons had been having a great week so far, beating two of the best teams in the NBA in the Cavs and Lakers, but for the second time since Iverson was acquired by the Pistons, the Celtics blew them out. Every single Celtics on the active roster played and scored, while the Celtics as a team shot 50% from the field and three point line. The Pistons on the other hand only had four players in double figures, led by Iverson's 16 and Rasheed Wallace's 13.


"Best" Lines (pretty rough night so best lines go in " ")

• Rajon Rondo: 18 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals
• Tony Allen: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks
• Boris Diaw: 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists
• Kevin Garnett: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists

Triple Threat Video of the Night
Thursday night's are my favorite NBA nights because that means we get to see the best post game show in the business, Inside the NBA. Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson are the absolute best studio team period. Well tonight's, "EJ's Neat-o Stat of the Night!" was quite the funny one. So if you missed it last night, here it is. Enjoy this good laugh at Charles Barkley's expense.



Now it's your turn, share your thoughts on the two match ups from Thursday night.