Kobe Bryant sprained his shoulder just five games earlier, but he was nonetheless able to lead the Lakers to victory with 31 points, including the go-ahead score in the final minute.
Bryant shot 13-of-23 while handing out 10 assists to held defeat Portland, 89-86.
Thanks largely to Shaquille O’Neal (21 points, 11 rebounds), Los Angeles enjoyed a 48-34 rebounding advantage over its visitors, but the Trail Blazers managed to stick around, as L.A. shot just 8-of-16 on free throws and scored only nine bench points.
However, Portland went scoreless in the final minute and 46 seconds.
Meantime, Bryant knifed through the defense and hit a layup with 31.8 seconds remaining to snap an 86-86 tie.
Kobe performances on this day in history:
A video posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Feb 17, 2016 at 7:51am PST
A video posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Feb 17, 2016 at 7:51am PST
