[ad_1]
LOS ANGELES – As LeBron James headed for the free-throw line with 12.9 seconds to go, Kobe Bryant nodded and applauded both fists, encouraging his former team and new superstar to clinch their best start-of-season win .
Sitting at the corner of the baseline, Bryant made a rare appearance at Staples Center, and former Grand Laker saw his former rival James rack up two milestones: his first triple-double and his first home win as than Laker.
Behind the 28 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds and three interceptions of James, the Los Angeles Lakers gave the Denver Nuggets their first loss of the season with a 121-114 win over a cheering crowd at Staples Center.
"I have absolutely [noticed him]of course, you notice him sitting on the baseline there, "said James, who did not have an opportunity to talk to Bryant."[One] of the greatest of all time Laker. What he did for this franchise for more than 20 years that he was here … it speaks of wonder.
"For me, being able to compete with him all those years, then to be able to share a jersey, the same jersey as him at this point … I think it's pretty special."
James now has 74 triple-doubles in his career, four fewer than Wilt Chamberlain for the fifth time ever, according to ESPN Stats & Information. James is the first Lakers player to record a triple-double of 20 points since Bryant made it in December 2014 against Denver.
The Lakers felt the extra energy brought by Bryant, something he did last season when he and his family were honored with the retirement of his sweaters on the 8th and 24th. Bryant, who was sitting next to Rob Pelinka, general manager of the Lakers and his former agent, also felt the buzz at Staples Center with the new Lakers superstar James. This is the kind of excitement that has not really been here since Bryant plays and the Lakers win.
"It's great to regain that excitement in the building," said Bryant after the win.
1:17
Kobe Bryant said that if LeBron James needed anything from him, the five-time champion has his back.
Bryant watched the Lakers clear an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter with a 15-2 blitz in just over three minutes. Without starters Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram, the Lakers (2-3) won their second consecutive game, with the five starters scoring double digits. Rondo will be back when the Lakers play in San Antonio on Saturday, while Ingram still has a game to play against Saturday's scrum with the Houston Rockets.
Lance Stephenson once again left the bench and started the Lakers in the fourth quarter by scoring eight of his 12 points, including scoring two consecutive points during the push. He also shot a ball shot by two Nuggets past half the field and beat James for a dunk that gave the Lakers the advantage of staying at 3:30 of the end.
As the Nuggets demanded a timeout, a stray James rushed into the field to find Stephenson and celebrate the pass.
"I was really impressed by Lance," Bryant said.
Stephenson and other Lakers said that they could not help but notice that Bryant was sitting in a corner. When Bryant was screened before the second quarter, Staples broke out.
"Oh man, Kobe, it's a blessing for him to be at the game," Stephenson said. "He's one of my favorite players, he was kind of good game after the game, so I got a little excited."
Bryant said he liked what he had seen from Kyle Kuzma (22 points), who had the opportunity to train with Bryant during the off season. The former big Laker also saw Lonzo Ball deliver his best full match of the season. Ball made his third start in the place of the suspended Rondo and had 12 points, eight assists, six rebounds and five interceptions.
The ball disrupted the Nuggets' offense with his active hands, constantly deflecting or pushing the ball away from the Nuggets inside while sometimes exerting total pressure on the pitch. He ensured an outstanding defense on Denver's Nikola Jokic (24 points, 11 rebounds, six turnovers) while protecting Jamal Murray (22 points, 10 rebounds) at times.
"He's a very talented basketball player," said James about Ball. "Very cerebral basketball player I think when he plays basketball aggressively and thinks about shooting first, everything else is open to him, he has some of the fastest hands in this league.
"A lot of people always try to discredit what he can do on the offensive but they never give him enough credit for what he does defensively," James continued. "Whenever he's in training, he has two, three, four flights, deviations."
Formerly rival, James was grateful to see Bryant go out and watch as well as the Lakers.
"He's doing a lot of things now after basketball," said James. "It looks like her daughter is about to play basketball, she looks nice to play too, so for him, taking the time to come and see us play tonight was pretty cool."
Dave McMenamin of ESPN contributed to this report.
Source link
