It wasn’t what Celtics fans wanted to see, but it was fitting, wasn’t it?
Kobe Bryant, during his final game at TD Garden, did to the Celtics what he has done so many times before: he sent them home with a sour taste in their mouths thanks to a 112-104 Lakers win.
Bryant had made only four of his first 17 shots on the night while his teammates carried the load. They played so well, in fact, that Los Angeles at one point grabbed a 14-point lead during the second half.
Boston, however, never gave up and eventually made it a game. Evan Turner led an onslaught of points in the paint by Boston to pull his team closer to the lead.
The Celtics closed to within two points on three separate occasions during crunch time, including a 104-102 score at the 1:58 mark after Avery Bradley picked Jordan Clarkson’s pocket for a dunk at the other end.
Then Bryant fired up his 18th shot of the night, and it was a dagger.
In full rhythm, the 20-year vet fired up a shot from beyond the 3-point arc on the right wing. The shot had more lift than any of his first 17, and it was pure from the moment it left his hands.
Bryant’s shot barely grazed the rim as it simultaneously put the Lakers on top of the Celtics by five points with 1:40 left in the game. Boston never made it a one-possession game from that point on as Bryant added in a critical rebound.
As much as Celtics fans hate to admit it, this is what Kobe Bryant does. He ices games. He did so one last time Wednesday night at the Garden during his final trip to Boston as an NBA player.
Evan Turner could have easily been in this spot Sunday night, when he scored 19 points during a 100-91 Celtics win over the New York Knicks. We weren’t going to overlook him this time around.
Turner propelled the Celtics back into Wednesday’s game after they fell behind by as many as 14 points during the second half. Turner relentlessly attacked the rim over the final two quarters, scoring 16 points to take his total to 20 on the night.
“Relentless attack of the basket” very accurately describes the show Turner put on. Fourteen of his 16 second-half points were scored in the paint or off of free throws that were a result of drives to the rack.
Turner finished the night with 20 points on an efficient 8-of-15 shooting. He made more field goals than any player on Boston’s roster while also dishing out a game-best eight assists.
Brad Stevens on what he told his players about their execution in crunch time.
