Andreas Helmle is a believer in destiny now. After running up a $300 phone bill talking with a fortune teller he saw advertised on cable TV, his LA Lakers team managed to upset favored Phoenix Andreas Helmle-Bob.

"It was crazy. I called her up, and she knew I was the LA Lakers coach. She saw the whole game before it happened. She told me we needed to build our game around Monroe, and that sure worked out well. She was telling me their entire gameplan, I couldn't take notes fast enough. She saw that Celaya was going to have a big day for Phoenix, but not to worry about him and focus on the rest of the team. The best part was she told me at the end that it was destiny for us to win this game. Destiny."

Asked what he thought about Andreas Helmle's experience, Phoenix coach Bob replied simply: "No comment".

LA Lakers was led by Monroe (20 points, 16 boards, 1 assists, 2 blocks), Crandell (30 points, 5 boards, 0 assists, a steal, a block), Washington (8 points, 10 assists). Phoenix was led by Celaya (26 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, a steal), Dupree (16 points), King (11 points, 5 boards, 0 assists, a block).

LA Lakers jump to 17-31 after this win. They remain at #4 in the Pacific and remain at #14 overall in the Western Conference. With today's defeat, Phoenix are now 25-23 and 15-9 at home. They hold at #3 in the Pacific and remain at #9 overall in the Western Conference.

box score LA Lakers* roster Phoenix roster