“Let’s see what they do, ‘” Scott said through the The LA Times.
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Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell certainly showcased his tremendous potential last night as he finished with 23 points including a go-ahead bank shot that sent the game into overtime.
Wolves interim coach Sam Mitchell was coaching the Raptors the night Bryant scored 81, but he has been loath to relive that game.
James Harden, Klay Thompson, and Gordon Hayward are names that, for me, should be looked at way before thinking about selecting Kobe as part of the final 12 that will be on the plane to Rio next year. It tied the score at 114-114 and set up overtime.
What made the game even more exciting to watch was seeing Bryant going wild on the bench, cheering on the youngsters as they finally got the opportunity to lead the charge and beaming like a proud father after Russell hit the overtime-forcing shot.
“I think both of them have a quiet passion – well, Tim has a quiet passion for the game where Kobe is a little more outspoken for how he loves to play this game”, Scott said.
The Rockets shot 52.2 percent (47 for 90) from the field and 15 for 33 from 3-point range, compared to 40 percent (35 for 88) for the Lakers and 10 for 32 from beyond the arc.
But in the third quarter, it was increasingly evident why Bryant has chose to retire at season’s end. The Lakers clearly don’t want to overload Bryant and his 37-year-old legs, but there is likely pressure to put him on the floor for extended time at every stop on his farewell tour. Karl Anthony Towns had 18 points, five rebounds and two assists to lead the Timberwolves. At this point there is nearly zero doubt that the Lakers will retain him as he is one of their very few bright spots but the question now becomes how big of a pay raise is he in for.
Lakers: Scott said he has not had a talk with Randle and Russell about their demotions to the bench. He had nine assists but wiped most of that out with seven turnovers. His best play might have been an incompletion, a fearless drive in which he was fouled by Towns with 3:02 left in regulation.
The two have only faced each other once since Howard spurned the Lakers in free agency in 2013. “This is a great thing to see that we’re taking up from the people before us and trying to play at a high level”.
Oh, and because they’re a really bad team with a numbingly terrible 3-21 record. Fortunately, Randle would miss the first and just make the second. Clarkson went through some pregame workouts Saturday but was deemed not quite agile enough to play. It was unclear whether he would play Friday at San Antonio. The Lakers are 1-6 entering the finale of a season-high trip.
Or at least the players actually doing good individually.
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“They’ll always be cool, it will always be fine”, Bryant said of the two’s relationship “my responsibility when Dwight and I played together was to get him to play his best basketball and that involves sometimes pushing buttons where guys don’t necessarily appreciate it at the time”.
