The hope was that the stunning victory over the then-undefeated Golden State Warriors (a game in which Monroe dominated) over the weekend would help spur a turnaround, but then Milwaukee took a major step back in the loss in Los Angeles.
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He would probably like the Lakers (4-21) to build off of a rare win when they host the Houston Rockets (12-14) on Thursday at Staples Center. Amusing enough, both times the Lakers touched their season high 22-point lead, Bryant provided the pass: once to D’Angelo Russell and once to Robert Sacre.
“I just relax, just teach”, Bryant said.
Monroe was hurt during the team’s shootaround Tuesday in a collision with a teammate. Additionally aiding in Bryant’s comfort to sliding off of the ball is the addition of Russell, because as Bryant told the media, “I$3 haven’t played with point guards that are playmakers at heart”. Over the last five games the 37-year-old Bryant has averaged 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists, while shooting a respectable 46.6% from the field.
“I mean it would be great to play in it. If I’m not in it, I’m not going to beat myself up over that either”, Bryant said after practice at the team’s facility Wednesday.
Bryant hit the game-winner over Kidd in Game 2 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals, ultimately defeating the Phoenix Suns in five games. “To share that stage and win a gold medal was a lot of fun”, Kidd said. “I feel very comfortable with that”.
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Los Angeles opened the third quarter with a 10-2 surge, including a crowd-pleasing dunk by forward Larry Nance Jr over Bucks center John Henson, for a 17-point advantage after a Bryant fadeaway at 8:47.
