Kobe Bryant had worst game of his career vs. Spurs

Unfortunately, even that was taken away from the Purple and Gold faithful Friday night. Bryant went 1-for-14 from the floor, setting a personal record for worst field-goal percentage in a game in which he attempted more than 10 shots.

Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard and Cory Joseph took turns hounding Bryant all night long. Kobe missed his first 10 shots before finally getting a baseline jumper to fall with 11 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

But there were extenuating circumstances. From the LA Times:

“I didn’t feel too good, but I’m used to playing through that. It’s tough, man. Tonight was just one of those nights where it makes me really remember the challenge of being 36 and being 19 years in. Body just won’t respond when you’re sick and you’re used to being able to fight through those things. It just helps me really remember exactly what I’m facing. It’s tough.”

It’s always strange to hear Kobe grapple with his own basketball mortality. But it didn’t sound like he was making excuses. When asked what was different about playing through an illness this time, Kobe said:

“Nineteen years. That’s what’s different. In all honestly, it’s a long season. I feel great. But tonight was one of those nights where it just caught up. I gotta try to now look at how to adjust -- you know, recovery program -- to try to answer the call, try to answer the challenge when I face a night like tonight in the future.”

Bryant still played 36 minutes in a game in which the result never really seemed in question, which was odd considering he was sick. According to Byron Scott, Kobe was being Kobe and wanted to see if he could push through it. Evidently he couldn’t, but the commitment he’s showing to a team that is 1-8 and has no shot of making the playoffs is commendable.

★★★