In a clash between casts of legends, Kobe Bryant provided the night’s fireworks.
He successfully dueled Dwyane Wade to earn his first ever victory over former teammate Shaquille O’Neal, while Phil Jackson — rehired over the summer — coached the Lakers into spoiling new Heat coach Pat Riley’s return to Los Angeles.
Bryant racked up 37 points on 13-of-24 shooting from the field, plus a 9-of-9 mark on free throws, while Wade countered with 34 points of his own and clips of 11-of-24 and 12-of-16, respectively.
Bryant hit a late 20-footer to put L.A. up by five, but Wade quickly countered. However, Bryant’s teammates took it from there to ice the 100-92 victory and snap Miami’s four-game win streak.
The Lakers led by 15 at halftime, but the Heat set themselves up for a late rally, though Bryant spoiled the comeback attempt with a dozen fourth-quarter points.
O’Neal (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Udonis Haslem (13 points, 12 rebounds) tallied double-doubles for the visitors, but Lamar Odom proved even more versatile by narrowly missing a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Kobe performances on this day in history:
