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 Perhaps playing on the New Orleans stage for the last time, Bryant
nailed three long-range jumpers in the final six minutes and scored
12 of the Lakers' final 14 points for a team-high 27 that powered
the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-96 victory over the New Orleans
Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.
"It makes me feel great," Bryant said of turning a Pelicans crowd
into Kobe admirers. "It makes me feel like all the hard work I put
in throughout the years has been worth it -- to see the reactions
from the fans and the signs."
Bryant re-entered the game with the Lakers, who had led by 12 just a
few minutes earlier, now clinging to an 85-79 lead. He immediately
hit a 3-pointer from the right wing and came back on the Lakers'
next possession to nail another long-range jumper from the left
wing.
Each time his shot fell, the Pelicans' home crowd erupted in cheers.
"He's done it for the last 19 seasons," said New Orleans coach Alvin
Gentry, who had warned his team of the home crowd turning if Bryant
was allowed to get on a roll. "When that happens, the 'Kobe Factor'
becomes a possibility, and that's exactly what happened."
The Lakers (11-41), who had lost 14 of their previous 16 games, hung
on for the victory when guard Jrue Holiday's contested 3-pointer
from the top of the key fell short of the rim at the buzzer. The
Pelicans (18-31) lost their third consecutive game despite a
game-high 39 points and 11 rebounds by forward Anthony Davis.
"Obviously it wasn't enough to get the job done tonight," Davis
said. "(Kobe's) been doing it for 20 years. I don't know why people
re surprised. He hit some big threes."
Lakers coach Byron Scott said he was almost flabbergasted by the way
in which Bryant seems to have regained a bounce in his step after
playing through shoulder and leg injuries. In a 119-115 victory over
Minnesota on Wednesday night, Bryant scored a season-high 38 points,
including 14 of the Lakers' final 18 points. In the last two wins,
Bryant has made 11 of 22 long-range jumpers.
"Kobe's leading by example of how to kind of step on people's necks
when we have the chance to," Scott said. "He's got a lot of pep in
his step, for whatever reason.
"He did what Kobe Bryant does. He's used to being put in that
situation. He loves that. Seeing him hit that big three and hit free
throws down the stretch, that's what it's all about. The roll he's
on right now is just good to watch."
The Lakers led 85-73 with 8:31 left, but New Orleans scored six
straight and had a chance to cut the deficit to four, but Davis
missed two free throws.
Bryant came immediately down court and nailed a 3-pointer from the
right wing, drawing cheers from the road crowd and giving Los
Angeles an 88-79 lead with 5:40 remaining.
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Another key exchange happened two minutes later, when Davis missed a
wide-open dunk, and the Lakers grabbed the long rebound for a layup
on the other end by D'Angelo Russell for a 95-86 lead with 2:50
left.
Scott said during Bryant's retirement tour, he has seen road crowds
show the superstar a lot of pent-up love, perhaps because they
realize they will not see his like again.
"The places we've been, people have shown him a lot of love," Scott
said. "There's a lot of respect for a man who has played this game
for 20 years at a very high level. He's given a whole lot to the
game of basketball. I think everybody who has watched him play --
love him or hate him -- they respect him and his work ethic, how he
brings it to the game every single night."
Davis scored 17 of the Pelicans' first 19 points of the third
quarter, but the Lakers still led 79-69 entering the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans missed all seven 3-point attempts in the third quarter.
Bryant said he doesn't know where the fountain of youth has come
from in the last week.
"I'm as puzzled about it as you are," Bryant said. "I just been
working and trying to get my legs. It's hard -- 20 years and all
these injuries. I just try to stay with it and work and run every
day and lift and stretch. Right now it feels like I have some
consistency to my legs."
NOTES: Kobe Bryant played his second-to-last game in New Orleans,
eliciting memories of a 50-point performance in a regular-season
game against the New Orleans Hornets in 2007. Bryant was the second
player in NBA history to record four consecutive games of at least
50 points. Lakers coach Byron Scott was the New Orleans coach during
the 50-point explosion. "I kept telling our guys, 'He's going to go
off at some time in this game. Just make him make tough shots,'"
Scott said. "It ended up working that night and we were able to get
the win." ... New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry remembers an impossible
jump shot Bryant drained against the Phoenix Suns in the sixth game
of the Western Conference finals in 2010. "Grant Hill is defending
him out by our basket and he jumps up and I say, 'Good defense,' and
(Kobe) moves the jump shot to another angle and makes it and turns
around and give me a nice little slap on the hip and says, 'Not good
enough,'" Gentry said.
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