As with many battles between the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, this one came down to the very end. And, per usual, the ball was in Kobe Bryant’s hands.
The game tied at 92, the scoring champion hit from 16 feet away to take the lead for good. He also hit a pair of late free throws to ice the 100-96 victory in San Antonio.
Bryant shouldered the load for Los Angeles, scoring 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting, plus a 10-of-11 mark at the foul line. No other Laker scored more than 13.
Though he also had seven turnovers, Bryant racked up eight assists and six rebounds to counter solid nights from Tim Duncan (26 points, four blocks) and Tony Parker (25 points, three steals).
The Lakers fell behind by six after the first quarter, but they quickly fought back behind Bryant, who scored 17 in the second quarter alone by going 7-of-9 from the field.
Kobe performances on this day in history:
A video posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Jan 17, 2016 at 9:26am PST
A video posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Jan 17, 2016 at 9:26am PST
