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LOS ANGELES – Dwight Howard got in the way when Mike Conley drove the lane in the waning seconds, doing his delicate best to alter Conley’s potential game-deciding shot without fouling.

When Conley couldn’t score over Howard, the Los Angeles Lakers could exhale - one more victory in their desperate playoff push.

Kobe Bryant had 24 points and nine assists, Pau Gasol added 19 points, and the Lakers stayed in the final playoff position in the Western Conference with an 86-84 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

Howard hit a free throw with 4.1 seconds left before playing solid defense on Conley’s final shot attempt, and the Lakers won their third straight in the final weeks of their push for a postseason spot. 

Los Angeles (40-36) barely leads Utah (40-37) - and everybody on the Lakers’ high-priced roster is aware of their situation.

‘’This is the big push for us,’’ Bryant said. ‘’We’ve got a very tough stretch, and we’re excited. You want to be going into the playoffs feeling like you’re playing good ball against tough opposition. It’s been a lot of figuring out we had to do, but it’s better late than never.’’

Los Angeles also avoided getting swept in its season series with the Grizzlies, whose four-game winning streak ended.

Agencies