The young Kings (without Tyreke Evans) were poised to get a win in Los Angeles (over the Lakers, not the Clippers), but with a two-point lead and four seconds to play, Ime Udoka bricked two free throws setting up this shot by Kobe Bryant…
Kobe finished with 39-5-5. For the Kings, Spencer Hawes posted 30-11-5 and (rookie) Omri Casspi chipped in with 23-6-3.
The Golden State Warriors have trouble playing defense, and Kobe took advantage of this fact on Tuesday night, posting 44 points, 11 assists and four rebounds in the Lakers’ 124-118 win at the Staples Center. Bryant has a tendency at times to be more of a volume shooter, but on Tuesday, he scored 44 points on 27 shots (making 13) and also hit all 16 of his free throws. It was a very efficient night.
A game on Christmas has become tradition for the Lakers, but they didn’t seem all that eager to play this year. The Cavs had a 20-point lead with 4:36 to play in the second quarter, and if not for a 15-4 Laker run to close the half, the Cavs would have blown L.A. out of the water. The lead was cut to six with just under 10 minutes to play in the third quarter, but the Cavs built it back up to 14 by the end of the third and eventually won, 102-87.
LeBron posted 26-4-9, but Mo Williams was the difference (28-6-7). Shaq had a quiet 11-7. Kobe had a near triple-double (35-9-8), but shot just 11 of 32 from the field. Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum combined for just 34 points and 24 rebounds, as the Lakers shot a woeful 37% from the field. (Credit must be given to the Cavs’ defense.)
It’s just the regular season, but this is something of a statement game for the Cavs. They went into L.A. in a tough situation and came away with a win.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Since it’s the holiday season and I’m feeling generous, I’m going with a two-fer for the LOTN. First up is Jerryd Bayless, who has been getting a ton of minutes with all the injuries that the Blazers have been suffering. Last night, Portland (without Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Joel Przybilla) beat a healthy Spurs team in San Antonio, 98-94. Bayless posted 31 points and seven assists.
This is the kind of game that makes one wonder if something is seriously wrong with the Spurs.
Meanwhile, in Phoenix, it was youth over experience as the Thunder beat the Suns, 117-113. Durant had 38 points, six rebounds and three assists, and hit 12 of 20 shots from the field, including a crucial jumper that put OKC up four with just seconds to play. Amare Stoudemire had 35-14 for the Suns, and basically had his way inside. If the Thunder can land a good power forward/center this offseason (Chris Bosh?), they’ll be in business. It’s hard to root for OKC given what the ownership did to the city of Seattle, but it’s just as hard not to like the young core of Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden.
The Sacramento Kings were down by 35 POINTS in the middle of the third quarter and rallied to beat the Bulls, 102-98, in the biggest comeback in team history. Tyreke Evans led the Kings with 23 points and eight boards, and also dished out three assists. He’s definitely making a push for ROY — right now, it’s neck and neck with the Bucks’ Brandon Jennings.
The surprising Kings are 13-14, and have won four of their last six, including back-to-back road games against the Bucks and Bulls. Oddly enough, they’ve kept their head above water without Kevin Martin. It will be interesting to see how he fits in the lineup now that Evans is thriving at off guard.
Here are the highlights:
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