Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles Lakers sink New Jersey Nets at the death – NBA Recap
The Los Angeles Lakers were playing without All Star Centre Andrew Bynum in Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets and needed their star players to step up offensively. Kobe Bryant answered the call with a game high 24 points,
including a three point dagger with seconds remaining in the game to give the Lakers the win.
Bryant was ably assisted by Pau Gasol, who added 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Deron Williams scored 20 for the Nets.
It was all Lakers in the first half, who led 58-45 at half-time. The game started evenly but the Lakers soon ran away from the reach of the Nets, going on a 10-4 run late to finish 32-23 after the 1st. They continued
their offensive assault in the 2nd quarter, extending their lead to as much as 58-41, before finishing the 1st half at 58-45.
Pau Gasol was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 18 of his total of 22 points in the first 24 minutes. The Lakers shooting was red hot in the first half, going 65% from the field.
LAL continued their onslaught in their 3rd quarter, leading by as many as 17 points at one point with 7:16 left in the quarter. They held onto a big lead throughout the quarter, leading by 16 with 1:21 remaining. Each
time the Nets gained any offensive momentum, the Lakers were there to answer back. They went into the 4th quarter leading by 78-66.
In the first three quarters, the game was completely a one sided affair and it seemed like the Lakers will roll over the Nets in the fourth.
Deron Williams and Kris Humphries however had different ideas.
The duo took control of the Nets offense in the 4th quarter and keyed a 15-4 run to reduce the Lakers lead to 84-83. Metta World Peace sunk a jump shot to give Lakers the 3 point lead with 1:50 to go in the game but
Deron Williams answered instantly with a 3 point shot to tie the game at 86 a piece with 1:30 left in the game.
This was the first time in the game the Nets were not trailing the Lakers. Bryant responded with a jumper to put the Lakers back on top by 2. Gerald Wallace was fouled by World Peace but missed his first free throw to put the Nets
1 behind the Lakers with 58 seconds left in the game. Sessions missed a 3 point attempt on the next possession, but Gasol grabbed a crucial offensive rebound and time out was called.
When the match resumed, Barnes inbounded the ball to Bryant who was way outside the 3-point arc. Bryant took the shot and after bouncing on the rim a number of times, the ball went in to give the Lakers a definitive 4 point lead
with under 10 seconds left. The Nets could not score on their possession and the match ended with the Lakers winning 91-87.
It was a grave mistake by the Nets defense to leave Bryant open for the basket at such a critical point in the game. The Lakers will also go home and wonder how they gave up a 12 point lead at the end of the 3rd and
allowed the Nets to come so close to a win.
Bryant finished with game high 24 points. Pau Gasol had 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Ramon Sessions had 19 points and dished out 11 assists. These three players together accounted for 71% of the Lakers offense.
Deron Williams led the Nets scoring with 20 points and 6 assists. However, he missed his first 6 shots and finished 6 out of 15 from the field. Kris Humphries added 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while Gerald Wallace had 19
points.
Lakers as a team grabbed 50 rebounds, 12 more than the Nets who finished with 38.
The Lakers had 16 turnovers for the night, compared to only 6 for the Nets. The Nets fought back hard in the 4th quarter and outscored the Lakers 21-13. However, they gave it away in the end. The Lakers are now 34-20
for the season, sitting at the #3 spot in the West, two games clear of the LA Clippers, whom they will meet in their next outing. The Nets are not in playoff contention.
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