Over the past three games, Kobe Bryant has looked more like Steve Nash than Steve Nash. After notching 14 assists apiece in the Los Angeles Lakers' previous two victories, Bryant racked up 11 more dimes in a 111-06 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday night.
Kobe Bryant continues Steve Nash impersonation in Lakers’ win
Kobe Bryant racked up double-digit assists for the third straight game in a win over the Hornets on Tuesday. Bryant’s 39 assists over his last three games is a personal record.
Stephen Dunn
The 39 assists for Bryant over the past three games is the most he has ever had during a three-game stretch throughout his 17-year career. And this renaissance of sorts could not have come at a better time for the Lakers, who were floundering at eight games under .500 prior to the three-game winning streak.
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The Lakers' offense has been superb during the streak, averaging 106.0 points in wins over the Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz. A big reason has been Bryant's facilitating, although the entire team has been passing the ball better as a whole.
In the last three games, the Lakers have racked up 89 assists on 123 baskets for an assist percentage of 72.4 percent. That number has improved over each of the games, and was at a whopping 87.2 percent against the Hornets. For the season, the Lakers are now at 59.7 percent.
It should be noted that these past three wins have all come at the Staples Center, where Los Angeles has played pretty well most of the year. We will see if the Lakers can continue this strong play when they go on the road, which happens on Wednesday with a trip to Phoenix. If Los Angeles can keep up the crisp ball movement, their potent offense will be very difficult to stop.
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