Derek Fisher was in the lineup for the 74th time this season on Sunday, but the Lakers don't know what the near future holds for their veteran guard, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

An MRI revealed a partially torn tendon in his right foot, but Fisher aims to play through the discomfort. The common resting period for an injury of this caliber can range from six to eight weeks.

"We're still in a quandary about Derek, and what exactly is going to happen," Coach Phil Jackson said. "Can he play through this? Is he going to have to take a rest period or what? So, right now we're still in a quandary about how it's going to go."

Dirk Nowitzki, the NBA's reigning MVP, thinks it's time for Kobe Bryant to finally take home the trophy, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

"He's the best player in the game and he's never won it before. He's had his injuries, his team [has] had injuries and they're still right up there in the West. They just beat us without [Pau] Gasol and [Andrew] Bynum. I think this is his time," Nowitzki said.

Lakers' guard Derek Fisher has a partial tear of a tendon in his right foot but does not expect to miss any games, the Associated Press is reporting.  Fisher revealed he plans on playing through the pain.

"I feel pretty good, definitely good enough to see if I can help the team," he said before the game.

"That's basically what the decision is going to be based on, how I feel out there and whether I can really be effective enough to be a positive influence on helping us win games. At any point I start to feel like I can't do that, then I'll make a decision."

A stellar performance by Laker superstar Kobe Bryant was not enough to keep the Lakers from dropping the game to the lowly Memphis Grizzlies 114-111 on Friday night, the Associated Press is reporting.

Bryant finished with 53 points, but it was the team's defense which failed the Lakers. Rudy Gay led five players in double figures with 28 points.

Bryant described his pile of points as "pretty much" of a waste.

"We didn't do a good job defensively at all," he said. "Staying in front of the ball has been a big problem for us. If we can't solve that problem, then we'll just have to continue to get penetrated on until we get the big guys back and then they can bail us out by blocking shots to the basket."

Kobe Bryant drew two technical fouls in a span of 29 seconds late in the fourth quarter and was ejected from the team's 108-95 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night, the Associated Press is reporting.

Jason Richardson and Raymond Felton were both listed as questionable before the game with the flu but recovered and were instrumental in the victory. Richardson had 34 points and 10 rebounds; Felton added 13 points and 10 assists.

Pau Gasol will not play on Wednesday night against Charlotte and is doubtful for Friday's game with Memphis, according to the Los Angeles Times.

He has already missed six games with a moderate sprain in his left ankle and he "didn't improve between Saturday and today."

"It's swelling," coach Phil Jackson said. "Swelling creates soreness. I'm sure he'd like to be back and play [against] Memphis, but I don't know if that's a possibility or not. That's a pretty short order."

The Philadelphia 76ers remained hot with an impressive win over the Celtics in Boston on Monday night. The Sixers have won ten of their last twelve contests and are just a game behind the Wizards for fifth place in the East. Read about the rise of the 76ers and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for March 24th?s games!

- PHI 95, BOS 90

The Philadelphia 76ers used a strong fourth quarter to come-from-behind and knock off the Boston Celtics on Monday night. Andre Iguodala posted 28 points, and Andre Miller added 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists for the Sixers, who outrebounded Boston by eight and scored 21 points off turnovers. Leon Powe had 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Ray Allen added 14 points and 6 assists for the Celtics, who shot 45% from the field and committed twelve more fouls than the visiting 76ers. Philadelphia went on a 19-0 run in the final quarter en route to their tenth win in their last twelve games.

Game FIC Scores
Andre Iguodala, PHI ? 16.1
Thaddeus Young, PHI ? 14.4
Leon Powe, BOS ? 12.0
Paul Pierce, BOS ? 10.3

- DET 110, PHX 105 (OT)

The Detroit Pistons held off the Phoenix Suns in overtime last night, earning their fiftieth win in the process. Chauncey Billups had 32 points and 6 assists, and Rasheed Wallace added 23 points and 9 rebounds for the Pistons, who outrebounded Phoenix by four and scored 20 points off turnovers. Amare Stoudemire shined with 33 points and 5 rebounds while Steve Nash added 23 points and 9 assists for the Suns, who shot 50% from the field and needed two free throws in the final minute from Stoudemire to force overtime. The Suns will battle the East?s best team on Wednesday in Boston.

Game FIC Scores
Steve Nash, PHX ? 21.5
Amare Stoudemire, PHX ? 20.5
Chauncey Billups, DET ? 18.3
Rasheed Wallace, DET ? 15.5

- MIA 78, MIL 73

The Miami Heat used a big third quarter run to beat the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. Chris Quinn had 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Joel Anthony added 11 points and 7 boards off the bench for the Heat, who shot just 37% from the floor but capitalized on Milwaukee?s nineteen turnovers. Andrew Bogut had 16 points and 17 rebounds, and Michael Redd posted 24 points for the Bucks, who outrebounded Miami by eighteen but shot just 35% on the night. Even with this victory, the Heat still have a firm grasp on the worst record in the NBA.

Game FIC Scores
Chris Quinn, MIA ? 20.9
Andrew Bogut, MIL ? 14.8
Joel Anthony, MIA ? 11.5
Michael Redd, MIL ? 7.6

- NJN 106, NYK 91

The New Jersey Nets thoroughly outplayed the New York Knicks on their way to a dominating win last night. Vince Carter had 27 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds, and Nenad Krstic added 22 points and 6 boards of his own for the Nets, who shot 53% from the field and outrebounded New York by six. Jamal Crawford led with 26 points and 8 assists, and David Lee added 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who scored 24 points off New Jersey turnovers but struggled mightily from the field (39%). The Nets are just one game behind the Hawks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Game FIC Scores
Vince Carter, NJN ? 21.9
David Lee, NYK ? 15.5
Richard Jefferson, NJN ? 15.0
Jamal Crawford, NYK ? 14.8

- DEN 120, MEM 106

The Denver Nuggets used a huge third quarter run to earn an important victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Allen Iverson posted 26 points and 7 assists, and Carmelo Anthony added 23 points and 9 rebounds for the Nuggets, who shot 50% from the floor and scored 23 points off Memphis turnovers. Rudy Gay led with 30 points, and Mike Miller added 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who outrebounded Denver by five but hit just 43% of their shots. J.R. Smith added 27 points for the Nuggets off the bench, and Kenyon Martin posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.

Game FIC Scores
Hakim Warrick, MEM ? 24.3
Marcus Camby, DEN ? 19.3
Carmelo Anthony, DEN ? 19.0
Allen Iverson, DEN ? 17.9

- HOU 108, SAC 100

The Houston Rockets won a close game over the Sacramento Kings last night. Rafer Alston had 28 points and 5 assists, and Chuck Hayes added 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 dimes for the Rockets, who shot 50% on the night and outrebounded Sacramento by ten. Kevin Martin tallied 18 points, and Ron Artest added 17 points and 6 assists for the Kings, who hit 51% of their shots and sent Houston to the foul line forty-two times. The biggest lead of the night was held by the Rockets (eleven points), but the game was extremely close from the tip to the final buzzer. The victory was the 800th of Rick Adelman?s coaching career.

Game FIC Scores
Rafer Alston, HOU ? 21.8
Brad Miller, SAC ? 12.8
Chuck Hayes, HOU ? 11.6
John Salmons, SAC ? 11.5

- SEA 97, POR 84

The Seattle Supersonics used a 17-point second half advantage to comeback and beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. Kevin Durant posted 23 points and 9 rebounds, and Nick Collison added 13 points and 11 boards for the Sonics, who hit 50% of their shots and outrebounded Portland by six. Martell Webster had 22 points and 5 rebounds while Brandon Roy contributed 11 points and 5 boards for the Blazers, who struggled from the field (38%) and have now lost four of their last eight games. The Sonics snapped an eleven-game losing streak with the victory.

Game FIC Scores
Kevin Durant, SEA ? 19.4
Damien Wilkins, SEA ? 16.8
Nick Collison, SEA ? 15.3
Martell Webster, POR ? 11.9

- LAL 123, GSW 119 (OT)

The Los Angeles Lakers avenged a loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday with an overtime victory last night. Kobe Bryant had 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Lamar Odom posted 23 points, 21 boards, and 5 dimes for the Lakers, who shot 45% from the field. Baron Davis had 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists; additionally, Monta Ellis added 18 points, 9 boards, and 9 dimes for the Warriors, who outrebounded Los Angeles by two and shot 43% from the field. Golden State has just a half-game lead over Denver for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with twelve games left in the season.

Game FIC Scores
Lamar Odom, LAL ? 34.4
Baron Davis, GSW ? 20.5
Al Harrington, GSW ? 17.0
Kobe Bryant, LAL ? 16.6

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Golden State Warriors outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night thanks to huge performances from Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis. The Lakers outrebounded the Warriors drastically, but Golden State capitalized on L.A.?s eighteen miscues. Read about the Warriors? win and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for March 23rd?s games!

- SAS 88, DAL 81

The San Antonio Spurs used a huge third quarter run to knock off the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon. Tim Duncan posted 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili added 28 points, 8 boards, and 6 assists for the Spurs, who hit just 32% of their shots but outrebounded Dallas by eleven. Josh Howard had 13 points and 9 rebounds for the Mavericks, who shot 43% from the field and turned the ball over just ten times. Dirk Nowitzki hurt both his left knee and ankle after falling late in his team?s lost to San Antonio. He will be re-evaluated by the Mavericks on Monday.

Game FIC Scores
Manu Ginobili, SAS ? 24.6
Jason Terry, DAL ? 12.3
Dirk Nowitzki, DAL ? 11.4
Tim Duncan, DAL ? 10.5

- DEN 109, TOR 100

The Denver Nuggets outscored the Toronto Raptors by eleven points in the fourth quarter en route to an important victory. Allen Iverson had 36 points and 6 assists, and Carmelo Anthony added 33 points and 7 rebounds for the Nuggets, who hit 48% of their shots and turned the ball over just seven times. Chris Bosh notched 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists while Jamario Moon added 15 points and 15 boards for the Raptors, who made half of their field goal attempts and led for a majority of the game. Denver put some serious pressure on the Golden State Warriors for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with the win, their second-straight.

Game FIC Scores
Allen Iverson, DEN ? 21.9
Chris Bosh, TOR ? 18.5
Jamario Moon, TOR ? 18.5
Carmelo Anthony, DEN ? 16.6

- WSH 95, DET 83

The Washington Wizards shot 53% from the field on their way to a key victory over the Detroit Pistons last night. Antawn Jamison posted 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Caron Butler added 17 points, 6 boards, and 6 assists for the Wizards, who outscored the Pistons by six points in the fourth quarter. Richard Hamilton notched 19 points, and Chauncey Billups added 11 points and 9 assists for the Pistons, who hit 43% of their shots and outrebounded Washington by five. The Wizards are now just three games behind Cleveland for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Game FIC Scores
Antawn Jamison, WSH ? 14.9
Brendan Haywood, WSH ? 14.0
Chauncey Billups, DET ? 13.8
Richard Hamilton, DET ? 13.5

- GSW 115, LAL 111

The Golden State Warriors used a strong first half to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Stephen Jackson notched 31 points and 5 assists while Al Harrington added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who hit 42% of their shots and scored 31 points off turnovers. Kobe Bryant had 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists; Lamar Odom posted 19 points and 22 boards for the Lakers, who outrebounded Golden State by seventeen but turned the ball over eighteen times. The Lakers are now tied with the Hornets for first-place in the West while the Warriors hold a narrow lead over the Nuggets for the last playoff spot in the conference.

Game FIC Scores
Kobe Bryant, LAL ? 25.9
Lamar Odom, LAL ? 23.4
Stephen Jackson, GSW ? 20.6
Monta Ellis, GSW ? 18.9

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Charles Barkley called Kobe Bryant "very selfish" just two short years ago, but he has drastically changed his tune, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Chris Paul has been a one-man wrecking crew. But Kobe Bryant is the best player we've got in the NBA. You've got an injured Bynum, working Gasol in and now Gasol is out, and to still have the best record in the [West], that's why I would give the MVP to Kobe Bryant," Barkley said on TNT last week.

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward Ira Newble to a 10-day contract, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Newble, currently in his eighth NBA season, most recently played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Seattle Supersonics, averaging 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 15.5 minutes in 43 combined games this season, including 13 starts.