They kept things close in the first quarter, with Kobe Bryant starting off hot and Russell doing a little bit of everything on offense, but couldn’t keep up through the second half. The Lakers (3-20) also could not stop LaMarcus Aldridge (24 points on 11-of-20 shooting, 11 rebounds), Patty Mills (22 points in 9-of-11 shooting) and Kawhi Leonard (16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 11 rebounds).
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“The second meeting was just myself and (general manager) Mitch (Kupchak)…It was all basketball”, Scott said. He has been the team’s go-to guy for the better part of two decades and has made his mark as one of the greatest scorers and isolation players of all time. He would sign a four-year, $80-million contract with San Antonio. The Lakers will look to snap their current four-game winning streak against the Western Conference’s second-best team. “All players would like to play as much as they possibly can”.
“I’m genuinely appreciative of it”, Bryant said. If they don’t, I don’t care. Because it’s as simple as that, especially for a guy who’s been in the league nine years. I think because he was such a hit there when he was there with the national team for the Beijing Olympics, and I know he’s made many trips to China over the course of his career in the NBA.
“I want him to enjoy this as much as possible”, Scott said of Bryant. The first question on everyone’s mind is: Will Kobe Bryant make it in as a lifetime achievement award? He could not test his skill against an established point guard, as the Spurs rested point guard Tony Parker.
Clarkson said it was a “crazy day”.
Bryant did not overly dominate the game and make this night about him as an individual. “They’ve been OK”, Scott said.
Those wanting to see the hometown hero Friday were disappointed, however. Its 131-123 win at IN may have come with a cost, however, after Thompson rolled his right ankle IN the latter stages.
While Randle was disappointing, that’s expected from time to time with young inexperienced players. “So that hasn’t changed”.
They are only at 3-19 at the moment to place last in the Pacific, but Laker fans believe that this marquee match may light the fire underneath Bryant to put on another vintage performance. “To have them here at the game definitely means a lot to me”.
“It’s real sore when I’m cutting and trying to push off that leg”, said Clarkson, who has averaged 15.2 points on 47 percent shooting in 31.5 minutes per game.
One rookie took issue with that sentiment in an essay posted on The Players’ Tribune.
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“We need him to be aggressive”, Spurs forward David West said. On the bench. On the court. His legacy is one in which every fan should be thankful as his indomitable competitive spirit and refusal to ever give in has resulted in the Association rearing the best talent ever in the history of the sport.
