The Lakers reclaimed a little of themselves on Friday night, and pulled themselves back into the Western Conference semifinals with a game and an attitude befitting that of an NBA champion, three times running.

Phil Jackson, searching for the player or the moment that might turn their postseason around, pulled Devean George out of the air, put him in the starting lineup, and the Lakers had the start they'd had in neither game in San Antonio.

They defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 110-95, at Staples Center, before a sellout crowd that hung on every possession, and so they cut the Spurs' lead to two games to one in the series, and ended a six-month, six-game losing streak against the Spurs.