Kings blow big lead, beat Lakers in Kobe’s Sacramento finale

Allowing the Lakers back in the game Thursday didn’t make the Kings feel good. Clarkson lost the ball on a dribble drive and fouled Cousins, who made two free throws for a three-point lead with 6.8 seconds left. “I would not advise a young player to even listen to Byron Scott, because he is the worst coach at communicating with young guys, and I’m living proof”. The Lakers scored 38 points in the 3rd quarter ( their highest scoring quarter of the season) and closed the quarter on a 23-12 run.

Rookie guard D’Angelo Russell also missed the game with a sore throat. The youthful Lakers have three rookies and two first-year players. Vlade was the player the Lakers traded to the Charlotte Hornets for Bryant. “The whole group did, that’s why I left them in”. On average, Westbrook and Durant combined to score 51.2 points per game. That’s a feat the Bulls hadn’t accomplished since the 1995-96 season when Michael Jordan led the team. This will be something Russell is able to do more as he grows more comfortable with the physicality of National Basketball Association defenses and continues to put on muscle.

“We didn’t close the game the right way, but what I do like about the game is that even though they took a lead, we kept our composure (and) found a way to get the win”, Rondo said. And yet, while the Bryant we see today is far from the player we all remember, that doesn’t mean he won’t occasionally turn back the clock and give us the kind of show we were hoping for. Six Chicago players scored in double figures. He scored 18 of those points in the first half. “He’s a basketball fan”, Gasol said.

Plenty of the Kings players were just kids when Kobe Bryant broke into the league.

James Harden dropped 33 points as the Houston Rockets downed the Utah Jazz 103-94. They gave up 64 points in the paint. “I think we mentally shut down”.

The Atlanta Hawks snapped their two-game losing streak by mauling the Philadelphia 76ers 126-98.

Russell made 11 of 16 shots and added four assists for the Lakers (8-29). Recently acquired point guard Ish Smith finished with 12 points and seven assists. The Kings opened January with a 142-119 win over Phoenix before coming from behind to earn the franchise’s first ever win at Oklahoma City on Monday and fighting Dallas to the final buzzer on Tuesday.

Which explained why Bryant wore a smile most of the night as cowbells clanged and as he looked around, soaking in all the little things, appreciating it all one last time before he and the old barn, the site of so many epic contests, bid each other adieu.