An order of bad sushi made all the difference today as LA Lakers upset the favored Minnesota 99-90. Monroe had a huge game for LA Lakers, spoiling an otherwise solid performance by Minnesota star Smith in a game that could have post-season implications.

Minnesota apparantly had dinner together as team last night at a local sushi bar with most unfortunate results. Several team members spent the night in the hospital, while other team members got very little sleep as they rotated turns at their hotel room's toilets. The fatigue was evident from the beginning.

"You feel sorry for them," quipped LA Lakers coach Andreas Helmle. "That's a terrible thing to happen to anybody, but we had a job to do. There's no charity in this game." Minnesota coach Bob was apologetic to Minnesota fans. "Obviously we didn't see this coming, and I regret that we couldn't put a better product on the field today. I thought we still had enough to win, but it just wasn't going to happen."

LA Lakers was led by Monroe (22 points, 26 boards, 1 assists, a block), Washington (5 points, 2 steals), Sanchez (16 points, 0 assists, 2 steals). Minnesota was led by Smith (22 points, a steal), Daniels (14 points, 10 boards, 2 assists), Lundy (14 points, 2 assists, a block).

LA Lakers improve to 18-31 and 12-12 at home. They stay at #4 in the Pacific and remain at #14 overall in the Western Conference. Minnesota ended their winning streak at 5 games, and drop to 27-20. They stay at #3 in the Northwest and hold at #7 overall in the Western Conference.

box score LA Lakers* roster Minnesota roster