Kobe Bryant turns back the clock with 31 points, big buckets in Lakers win
Kobe Bryant’s Sunday retirement announcement changed the atmosphere around his season considerably, turning an awful and sometimes unwatchable set of performances into a mostly positive farewell tour. Opposing teams can now celebrate his accomplishments and act as if the Los Angeles Lakers icon is a universally beloved figure and not the most divisive player of his generation. There’s something a little odd and maybe a little disingenuous about the whole thing, especially since Kobe himself wants us to appreciate the beauty in the pain of the experience, but it’s admittedly been nice to look back on everything that he has accomplished. We are dealing with one of the greatest players ever, after all.
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Yet Kobe’s final visit to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday offered something new and unexpected for him this season — a legitimately good game. Bryant scored a Lakers season-high 31 points on 10-of-24 from the field (including 4-of-11 from long range) in 36 minutes to propel Los Angeles to a 108-104 win, just its third in 18 tries. Take a look at his night here:
The last two buckets stand out more than any others. Down 99-98 with around a minute remaining in regulation, Kobe used a pick to free up just enough space to launch a long three-pointer to give the Lakers the lead. Marcin Gortat laid the ball in off a John Wall assist on the next possession to tie it back up, but Bryant answered by taking Bradley Beal one-on-one and burying a fadeaway over him late in the shot clock. A subsequent Wall turnover made it a free-throw contest in the final seconds, and the Lakers hit enough to withstand a minor rally.
To be clear, this Kobe performance was not dominant so much as in line with an average game from the days when he was the most feared scorer in the league. But that’s an accomplishment in itself during a season that has Bryant as one of the least efficient and most ball-dominant players in the league. Plus, younger players like Julius Randle (15 points and 19 rebounds) played well enough to help the Lakers bounce back from giving the Philadelphia 76ers their first win of the season on Tuesday.
The news was not so great for the Wizards, who followed a potential return to form in a Tuesday win over the Cleveland Cavaliers by losing at home to one of the worst teams in the league. Wall had a reasonably good night with 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting and 11 assists, but he also controlled an offense that turned it over 23 times for 33 Lakers points. They still need a lot of help.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
