Spurs

French filmmaker Olivier Assayas has said all of his films have autobiographical elements in them, even if the exact details may be unrecognizable across his wide-ranging body of work. Assayas' sensitive portrayals of the changes in contemporary life, touching on globalization, technology and personal relationships, led the Austrian critic Alexander Horwath, in a recent book preface, to declare the filmmaker "one of the defining voices in the past quarter-century of cinema. " "Cold Water," Assayas' international breakthrough in 1994 about teenage romance and self-discovery, was the most obviously autobiographical of his films.

NEW YORK -- It's only a few days into May, but already investors have seen one surprise after another, as the Dow Jones industrial average passed 15,000 for the first time Friday on the strength of a better-than-expected jobs report. The S&P 500, a broader market index, pushed past 1,600 after hitting an all-time high on Thursday. Friday's jobs report showed employers adding 165,000 net new jobs in April, meaning that employers have added, on average, a respectable 212,000 jobs in the last three months.

In up-all-night, work-work-work America, a prescription medication like modafinil was sure to make major inroads from the get-go. And, whether you call this novel stay-awake drug by its commercial names -- Provigil and Nuvigil -- or by its plain-Jane chemical name, modafinil use is booming, spurred largely by "off-label" applications, says a new study. In a first look at modafinil's ascendance on the American pharmaceutical landscape, a group of researchers has shown that use of modafinil grew almost ten-fold between 2002 and 2009, with the steepest rise in uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Lakers brought back second-year guard Andrew Goudelock after Kobe Bryant went down for the season with an Achilles' tendon injury. Once Steve Blake (hamstring) and Jodie Meeks (ankle) were lost, Goudelock ended up the Lakers' emergency starter in two playoff games against the San Antonio Spurs. "I really haven't had a chance to think," Goudelock said. "From being on the court in the D-League and then they're like, 'You're going back to the Lakers.' The next day I'm here and they're like, 'You're going to play.' " The change was so sudden, even his NBA.com profile still has Goudelock wearing his Rio Grande Valley Vipers jersey.

The Lakers (45-37) can avoid a sweep to the San Antonio Spurs (58-24) on Sunday with a victory at Staples Center in Game 4.  Of course, to do so they'll need to get it done with a skeleton crew. Metta World Peace will sit with a knee injury. The veteran forward missed the second half of Game 3 after trying to play despite getting a cyst drained earlier that day. Steve Nash (hamstring/hip), Kobe Bryant (Achilles), Steve Blake (hamstring) and Jodie Meeks (high ankle sprain )

Staples Center held Pau Gasol in a warm embrace late in the fourth quarter Sunday, as fans stood to applaud when he left a game that had long been lost. Kobe Bryant then rose from his seat behind the Lakers' bench to tenderly place two hands on his teammate's shoulders. It was gracias , Gasol. It also felt very much like adios . The power forward who prompted Lamar Odom to exclaim, "The Beatles are back, baby!" on the day the Lakers acquired Gasol in February 2008 probably has played his last game as part of a not-so-Fab-Four.

Spurs 103, Lakers 82 (final) The Lakers' season finally came to a close on Sunday in a game that symbolized the year.  Injuries were the defining factor in the team's 45-37 regular season and the postseason was no different. The Lakers had to play Game 4 at Staples Center without Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Metta World Peace and Jodie Meeks. Then early in the third quarter, Dwight Howard was ejected after receiving his second technical foul. The Spurs had a slow start in Game 1 but by Game 4 the Lakers were almost an afterthought.

The free giveaways made sense, handed off to all Lakers fans as they entered Staples Center. White towels to wave. The Lakers completed the symbolism by waving the white flag, throwing in the towel, whatever metaphor you chose in a season-ending 103-82 playoff loss Sunday to the San Antonio Spurs. BOX SCORE: San Antonio 103, Lakers 82 Even the fourth-quarter "We Want Phil" chants weren't very forceful as the Lakers got swept in the first round for the first time since 1967.

Spurs 120, Lakers 89 (final) The San Antonio Spurs dominated the Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round playoff matchup to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with a 120-89 victory on Friday night at Staples Center. The Lakers couldn't overcome injuries to Steve Nash (hamstring/hip), Steve Blake (hamstring), Jodie Meeks (high-ankle sprain) and Kobe Bryant (Achilles). The starting backcourt of Darius Morris (24 points) and Andrew Goudelock (20) was strong offensively but the Lakers had no answer on defense for San Antonio.

Steve Nash and Jodie Meeks are still doubtful for tonight's game. So are the Lakers' chances of beating San Antonio. Meeks did not take part in the team's Friday morning shoot-around, and Nash walked through a few things but did not take an active role. The Lakers play San Antonio tonight in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. The Spurs lead the series, 2-0. Darius Morris will start at guard for the Lakers, Coach Mike D'Antoni said, alongside either Nash, veteran Chris Duhon or recent signee Andrew Goudelock.