He’s physically limited, and likely would have sat under normal circumstances.
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So what happened? Were the Warriors (37-3) distracted by the Kobe celebration? Curry might be a menace offensively and the favorite to win a second MVP, but when he’s not playing it doesn’t mean so many dimensions of the Warriors game take a beating compared to when Green is off the floor.
Whatever Bryant does next, West will remember what he brought to the game.
“‘I wish I would’ve had my last game here earlier in the season because you guys just elevate the bar in terms of gifts I’m receiving, ‘” Bryant recalled jokingly telling the Warriors.
Jeremy Lin finished with 19 points, five rebounds and shot a season-best eight-of-eight from the free-throw line, the hornets.com Web site said.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend is not having an All-Star season averaging only 17.3 points – his lowest since his sophomore season back in 1998.
“It was a rough night to start with but confidence never wavers”, he said.
Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to pull the Warriors to 111-110.
All in all, that’s a pretty neat day for the Warriors. It’s only human nature that the Dubs would lack some of the fervor and focus with which they attacked the season’s first 24 games. Though Bryant entered the game with 5:35 left, Scott also reached what he called a “happy medium” by not playing Bryant over the 30-32 minutes he has played on most nights this season. Curry’s presence created wide-open looks or mismatches for Livingston and Ezeli. Leandro Barbosa subbed in for Curry at the quarter break and helped the reserve squad continue the Warriors’ final push. His biggest play was the steal off of Curry (who was scorching in the fourth quarter with 20 of his 38 points). And as if trying to make up for lackadaisical play, the Warriors kept hunting for home run outlet lobs and pinpoint passes that had little margin for error. Defensively, the Lakers yield 105.5 points against the opposing teams. That’s not surprising given the fatigue, injuries and general mid-season boredom that usually settles in this time of year. Number one, they couldn’t play as hard as him, but number two, they didn’t have the skill to play as hard as him. Walton also will need to manage his rotations in a way that ensures the right balance of physicalityand focus, offense and defense. Conventional wisdom – and Lakers trainer Gary Vitti – said he should not have played because of a sore Achilles’ tendon.
“If I feel I can try and give it a go, I think the fans deserve that effort from me”, Bryant said before the Lakers’ 116-98 loss.
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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – At every stop, in every road arena, Kobe Bryant is reflecting on 20 years of memories and many great games. The Warriors are increasingly letting teams stick around or, as with Denver, take the lead. The bench as a whole finally had an extended run of good play, contributing 58 total points. Golden State overcame a slow start to win its fourth in a row against Los Angeles and seventh straight in the series at home.
