This highlight is from the Bucks broadcast (so excuse the “MISS IT!!” as the shot goes up), but here’s the video of Kobe’s buzzer beating game-winner in Milwaukee Wednesday night.
Archive for the 'Kobe Bryant' Category
This highlight is from the Bucks broadcast (so excuse the “MISS IT!!” as the shot goes up), but here’s the video of Kobe’s buzzer beating game-winner in Milwaukee Wednesday night.
Lakers officials have stated that Kobe Bryant’s avulsion fracture on the index finger (also known as a crucial release point for shooting, passing and ball-handling) may start to feel better in two to three weeks, and perhaps heal in about six or more weeks.
In the meantime, Bryant’s going to feel a decent amount of pain every time he does anything on the basketball floor (or even if he presses the “Up” or “Down” arrow on an elevator). Fortunately for the Lakers, Kobe is … Kobe, a rare breed who boasts perhaps the highest pain tolerance and level of determination in the NBA.
Whether it hurts him or not, Bryant’s going to push on, as witnessed by his time line in the Windy City so far:
The Lakers landed in Chicago around 5 p.m. local time on Monday afternoon, and it wasn’t long until Bryant was on his way to the gym to get some shots up and test his finger.
Then on Tuesday afternoon, well before the team bus arrived, Bryant was at United Center taking more shots while assistant coach Chuck Person looked on. As you can see for yourself (below), Bryant’s shot looks just fine, even if the average person wouldn’t be advised to touch anything for weeks.
What would it take for Kobe Bryant NOT to play?
More than an avulsion fracture to his finger. More than “gastroenteritis,” which is a stomach bug of sorts that’s not related to the flu.
Though he arrived late to EnergySolutions Arena and took IV fluids in the locker room, Kobe is expected to start for the Lakers.
In his pregame media session, Phil Jackson called Bryant the best he’s ever seen at playing through injuries and ailments of all kinds, and we’re about to see why yet again.
Kobe Bryant was named the Western Conference Players of the Week for games played Monday, Nov. 16, through Sunday, Nov. 22, by the NBA. It’s the 23rd time in Bryant’s career that he’s earned such an honor.
Bryant was terrific in leading the Lakers to a 3-0 week, averaging 29.8 points (second in the West), 6.7 rebounds and a team-high 6.7 assists. Furthermore, with his free throw at the 6:07 mark of the third quarter on Nov. 19, Bryant moved past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24,176) for second on the Lakers’ all-time franchise scoring list; Bryant trails only Jerry West (25,192). On Nov. 17, Bryant recorded his fourth 40-point game of season in a 106-93 win over Detroit, which doubled as the 100th 40-point game of his career.
Here is a game-by-game recap of Kobe’s week:
Nov. 17 vs. Detroit: Tallied 40 points, five rebounds and five assists in a 106-93 win over the Pistons.
Nov. 19 vs. Chicago: Posted 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a 108-93 win over the Bulls.
Nov. 22 vs. Oklahoma City: Scored 26 points (including a few H.O.R.S.E. shots) and added six rebounds, seven assists and two steals in a 101-85 win over the Thunder.
LeBron James took home P.O.W. honors in the Eastern Conference. Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Charlotte’s Stephen Jackson, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, Houston’s Luis Scola, Memphis’ Rudy Gay, New Orleans’ Marcus Thornton, New York’s Al Harrington, Orlando’s Vince Carter and Phoenix’s Amar’e Stoudemire.
Anytime you want to check out the highlights from a Lakers game, you can click on our Gameday Page and watch from there.
The win against Oklahoma City featured so many fun moments - courtesy in large part of Kobe Bryant and Shannon Brown - that we wanted to make sure you didn’t miss it.
Take a peek if you didn’t catch Kobe’s behind-the-basket surprise, left-handed buzzer beater or Brown’s crazy alley-oop (and more) the first time, or if you just want to watch again.
With Kobe Bryant’s blistering scoring start to the 2009-10 season, he’s now only 16 points away from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second on the Lakers all-time scoring list.
Bryant, who has hit the 40-point mark four times already in his first 11 games to equal the four total times he hit that plateau last season, is leading the league with a 31.0 points per game average.
The 2009 Finals MVP has scored 24,161 points in his Lakers career, while Abdul-Jabbar’s Lakers mark stands at 24,176. After Kareem, Bryant has Jerry West and his 25,192 points to look forward to. While No. 24’s scoring average could take a slight dip while his assists rise with the return of Pau Gasol, Bryant would potentially surpass the Logo in early February.
Abdul-Jabbar, the league’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, notched 14,211 points in his first six seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. Mr. Clutch ranks 14th on the list, and Bryant 16th.
Kobe Bryant left L.A.’s 101-91 Sunday evening loss to Houston with 2:12 to play in the fourth quarter due to a strained groin originally suffered in a win over New Orleans on Sunday, Nov. 8. Bryant said he tweaked the groin in the first quarter against the Rockets.
“I’ve felt better,” he said after the game. “It’ll be all right though. You just treat it, try to work through it, practice tomorrow and play through it a little bit, see how it goes.”
Phil Jackson said in his postgame press conference that Bryant had skipped L.A.’s three days of practice leading into Thursday’s loss at Denver, when he made 7-of-17 shots for 19 points in three quarters. Against Houston on Sunday, Bryant again struggled to get his usual lift, making 5-of-20 shots towards 18 points.
While Bryant failed to use his groin to explain his poor shooting (”You know I don’t make excuses”) he did admit that a strained groin can affect “running, changing direction, pretty much everything,” adding that one simply had to find a way to fight through it.
Bryant said he did not plan on missing any action, and will go through treatment on Monday morning.
Walton Sits Out with Back Injury
Lakers forward Luke Walton joined Bryant on the injury report, missing the game against Houston. We’ll have more on Walton after practice tomorrow.
****UPDATE: Bryant’s fever went down before the game, and his temperature was at a normal level. He will start. Phil Jackson also said that Pau Gasol would miss his fourth straight game, and that the MRI of Gasol’s hamstring had not yet come in to the team.
Lakers spokesman John Black confirmed that Kobe Bryant has a fever and a sore throat, and is listed as “questionable” for tonight’s game against Oklahoma City.
The Lakers did not play well in Friday night’s 94-80 loss to Dallas (OK, they did the opposite).
Yet coming off an emotional Ring Night win to open the season and again playing without Pau Gasol, a loss in October wasn’t exactly the end of the world for the Lakers.
That, of course, didn’t mean that Kobe Bryant was at all interested in losing again.
So on Sunday against Atlanta, he scored 31 points in three quarters to open a 22-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, then checked back in to thwart a Hawks’ comeback attempt that had cut L.A.’s lead to 10 points with just over four minutes remaining. When the final buzzer sounded, Bryant had amassed 41 points, eight rebounds, three assists and five steals to lead the Lakers to their second victory of the young season.
As good as he was, and as easily as he found the bottom of the bucket, Bryant credited the outstanding defensive energy of Ron Artest (who locked up Joe Johnson after he had scored 18 first quarter points mostly on Bryant) and the all-around play of Lamar Odom (who nearly reached a triple-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists) without mentioning his own name.
But it was Bryant who came out in attack mode particularly to start the game and the second half, almost as if to let his teammates and the Hawks know how things would turn out before they got any other ideas. The Finals MVP went for 13 points in an otherwise tepid first quarter as the Lakers held a two-point lead, then exploded in the third for 14 more points to turn a six-point halftime edge into a 22-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Not that it was a surprise to anyone in the building. After all, of L.A.’s 17 regular season losses last season, only four came in back-to-back style, and Atlanta’s Maurice Evans - who used to guard Bryant in practice when he was a Laker - was wary of No. 24’s expectations prior to the game.
“You have to focus on bringing the effort and energy for 48 minutes or as long as you’re out there because he doesn’t have weaknesses,” said Evans. ” He constantly attacks and he’s constantly effective out there, so if you don’t match his energy he’ll just roll over you.”
“Roll over” the Hawks did not, but they also had no answer whatsoever for Bryant.
Since Evans comes off the bench for Atlanta, the first time he saw Kobe face-to-face came with 3:16 left in the first quarter, and Bryant faced him up about 17 feet away from the basket. Evans stayed off Kobe a few feet, attempting to take away driving lanes, so Bryant simply rose up and nailed a jumper for his 10th point of the quarter. Evans was more successful on Bryant’s next shot, a turnaround fadeaway from nearly the same spot, but when Evans lost Bryant in transition three possessions later, Kobe sprinted to the corner and knocked down a three-pointer. What Evans had yet to see was Bryant on the block.
“I think that as he gets older his body takes more of a beating, so if he’s able to get it in a good position down low, he doesn’t have to expend as much energy to score the ball,” Evans said. “I’d almost prefer to see him on the block, because that way you can get quick help from a double-team. But out there on the perimeter, he has everything at his disposal.”
A quick injury note: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant missed Monday’s practice with a sore left foot, but is listed as “probable” on L.A.’s injury report.
Bryant is expected to start against the Clippers for L.A.’s 7:30 p.m. tipoff at STAPLES Center.
