Kobe Bryant commandeered the L.A. Lakers to a 115-110 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, as the former MVP scored 39 points, 17 of which came in the contested fourth quarter. The Lakers trailed by six points to start the fourth quarter, and Phil Jackson had Kobe on the bench while Warriors coach Keith Smart kept his star, Monta Ellis, in the game for all 48. By the time Kobe entered the game with 6 minutes, 37 seconds left, the Lakers had taken a one-point lead.
Lakers Vs. Warriors: Kobe Bryant Commandeers L.A. To Tight Win
Bryant would take five of the Lakers’ final eight field goal attempts, and seven of the team’s final 13 free throws to close it out. Luckily for L.A., he made most of them and Ellis, who had 38 on the night, didn’t get the ball much in those final five minutes and change, hitting two of three shots.
Dorell Wright, who like Ellis played all 48, scored 27. Stephen Curry was a bit more modest, finishing with 15 points and 10 assists. The Lakers got big contributions from all their starters but Derek Fisher, with Pau Gasol handing out 24 points and 11 rebounds, Andrew Bynum offering up 11 points and 14 rebounds and honorary sixth starter Lamar Odom going with 20 points and nine rebounds. Ron Artest led the Lakers with seven assists.
In other action:
Hawks 104, Raptors 101: Mike Bibby is still dealing daggers in the year 2011; the aging point guard nailed a three-pointer with nine seconds left to finish the game for Atlanta. The more important play came a couple seconds earlier, as Amir Johnson was called for an illegal screen with the Raptors leading by two.
That's just a brutal call to make, but ... the call was made. Andrea Bargnani and Leandro Barbosa each scored 26; Joe Johnson scored 26 too, and Jamal Crawford had 36 points in 34 minutes off the bench.
Celtics 119, Kings 95: The Kings actually stuck around during the first half, a minor victory. Francisco Garcia had no shot stopping Paul Pierce, Shaquille O'Neal pushed DeMarcus Cousins out of the lane, leaving the 20-year-old rookie to take too many jumpers and the Celtics rolled in the third and beyond. It's worth noting that Cousins was a 1-year-old when Shaq's NBA career began. Also, Rajon Rondo loves to pull off these 12-foot lay-ups. They are his favorite shot.
Grizzlies 107, Pistons 99: Detroit is still not very good, and while the Grizzlies are more erratic than any team with a set rotation ought to be, Memphis got the job done here. Greg Monroe had 14 points and 11 rebounds, but Zach Randolph had 34 points and 17 rebounds. Rudy Gay added 26 on 10-13 shooting.
Spurs 91, Bucks 84: San Antonio's embattled defense came through in this game; it might, however, say more about the state of Milwaukee's offense. The Bucks have the second worst scoring attack in the league, and the Spurs did not let them score efficiently. Just 39.5 percent shooting for Milwaukee. The Spurs took 23 from Manu Ginobili and never looked back.
Thunder 118, Rockets 112: Houston remained shorthanded, missing Kevin Martin and Brad Miller. But the Rockets couldn't replicate their win over Boston as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook took care of business. Durant had 30, and Westbrook added 23 points and 13 assists. Potential All-Star Luis Scola had 31 points and 11 rebounds for the defeated.
Suns 118, Nets 109 (OT): Phoenix came back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth to earn the home win over the struggling Nets. Steve Nash had 23 points and 16 assists, and he attacked and attacked in overtime, making a whopping eight free throws in the extra frame. Those makes helped Nash pass Mark Price to become the greatest free throw shooter in the history of Western Civilization. During the comeback, the Suns went with four guards (Nash, Goran Dragic, Vince Carter, Jared Dudley) and Channing Frye, who desperately wishes he were a guard. Maybe they ought to just do that full-time.
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