Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal took turns dismantling the New Jersey Nets, but it was the younger star who provided the deciding bucket.
Tied in overtime, Bryant went straight to the hoop and drew contact while connecting on a layup with 4.8 seconds left. The three-point play pushed Los Angeles to a 113-110 victory.
Bryant racked up 38 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while O’Neal poured in 32 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. But Stephon Marbury’s 50-point, 12-assist explosion kept the Nets alive past regulation.
Bryant scored nine straight for L.A. to notch a 104-98 lead with a minute left. But Marbury — who scored 19 in the fourth — countered with back-to-back 3-pointers to force the extra period.
The scorching Net stayed hot in overtime, hitting the first basket of the added five minutes. New Jersey maintained a cushion until Tyronn Lue’s layup with 37 second to go tied it at 110.
Bryant’s old-fashioned three-point play sealed it for the Lakers shortly after, as L.A. beat its future head coach, Byron Scott, who was on the other sideline for the Nets.
Kobe performances on this day in history:
