All in all, that’s a pretty neat day for the Warriors. Bryant’s decision to play – along with the emotion he showed as the Warriors organization and their fans celebrated him – conveyed a respect that would have been unimaginable at any point earlier in his career. Green, in his return to the lineup, played 27 minutes and scored seven points with nine rebounds and five assists. “He has a very impactful skill set”, reigning MVP Stephen Curry said after scoring 38 points in the loss.
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Curry had a hoop and two assists in a 13-2, quarter-closing run as the Warriors won for the third straight time this season in games that immediately followed a loss.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, right, drives for a shot past Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016, in Denver. Boston had three steals in the game before the four in the final 2:40.
Reserves Shaun Livingston (season-high 17) and Leandro Barbosa (15) combined for 32 points for the Warriors, who improved to 19-0 at home this season.
Before Kobe Bryant left the Oracle Arena court for the final time Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers icon was greeted by a trio of Golden State Warriors who have been terrorizing the rest of the league lately.
Golden State led by as many as 20, while Curry poured in 26 points by hitting eight 3-pointers in his squad’s 116-98 win on Thursday night.
“They started playing Warriors basketball”, Nance said. “It’s their time to step up and play and see how many championships they can win and see how many gold medals they can win”. They just completed five games in seven nights against mostly middling teams that don’t require ideal execution to defeat. “It’s important for them to carry it forward”.
Point guard Jordan Clarkson had 22 points and back-court mate Lou Williams added 21 for the Lakers, who were coming off a home win over New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
The Lakers also got 14 points apiece off the bench from point guard D’Angelo Russell and power forward Julius Randle.
The Nuggets prevailed despite Curry catching fire late and Klay Thompson getting a potential game-winning 3-point attempt that fell short before the final buzzer. “Kobe!” before a rousing ovation when his name was called. I have said it before, and will continue to do so throughout the season, but this is a rebuild.
Few players in any sport receive the kind of applause Bryant got. I was hoping it was just what it was.
None of the above, said interim coach Luke Walton. “Whether or not he had one last 3 tonight really doesn’t matter”. But it seems both sides have moved past their differences and it’s great to see West pay homage to Bryant like this, even if in time West’s standing himself as one of the truly best Lakers ever has started to be overlooked. Golden State is 10-1 in the second half of back-to-backs this season….
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Thompson sank a three-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to pull the Warriors to 111-110, but after Gallinari made one of two free throws and Thompson was unable to get the game-winner. Then, the man who drafted Bryant back in 1996, Jerry West, held a colorful press conference that shared his thoughts on two decades of being a mentor and father figure for Bryant.
