Kobe Bryant lived up to his Vino nickname, delivering his best performance of the season in his third-to-last game. Torching the Rockets for a season-high 35 points on 10-for-22 shooting in a Lakers loss. Maybe he should just call off this whole retirement thing.
“I’m eternally optimistic,” Bryant said. “I think the jump shot was falling. The legs felt good. And then you have nights like this. But it wouldn’t be something that surprised me.”
Lakers coach Bryon Scott was impressed.
“What can you say? The man was unbelievable at times,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said of Bryant’s performance against the Rockets. “Sometimes you just sit there and marvel the way he is able to play this game at a high level after 20 years of basketball. Single-handedly, along with [Jordan Clarkson], he kept us in the game.”
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