Kobe Bryant’s 37 point, 14 rebound performance headlined the NBA All-Star game on Sunday night, in which the West comfortably defeated the East 148–143 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The 32-year-old Bryant, who captured his fourth All-Star MVP to tie Bob Pettite’s record, said he was galvanized by all the young talent on the court.
“Just being around so many young players gave me so much energy to see them bouncing around and all that sort of stuff. It just re-energized me for the night,” Bryant said after the game.
The Los Angeles Lakers had come into the All-Star break having lost three in a row on the road, including an incredibly embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. The Cavs had reached basketball futility just two weeks ago with a record-setting 26-game losing streak.
But that was all erased for Bryant on Sunday night as he set his sights from the get-go to not play an exhibition game but instead playoff-level basketball.
“You could tell from the start he wanted the MVP. He wasn’t passing the ball at all,” Knicks All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire said. Stoudemire tied LeBron James in scoring with 29 points to lead the East.
One of Bryant’s first baskets was a difficult turnaround fade-away jump shot off the glass just over the reach of Dwyane Wade. Then he made a phenomenal two-handed dunk on the opposite side of the basket after flying and twisting his body in the air under the rim. It brought the West bench and the largely pro-Bryant crowd to their feet.
Bryant was the only player to break double-digit scoring in the first quarter with 11 points. He added 10 more in the second quarter and 13 in the third quarter. All-Star games are not known for their defensive tenacity, but the scoring was still impressive and a sign that number 24 still has what it takes to play at the level of the NBA’s most promising new stars.
The 32-year-old Bryant, who captured his fourth All-Star MVP to tie Bob Pettite’s record, said he was galvanized by all the young talent on the court.
“Just being around so many young players gave me so much energy to see them bouncing around and all that sort of stuff. It just re-energized me for the night,” Bryant said after the game.
The Los Angeles Lakers had come into the All-Star break having lost three in a row on the road, including an incredibly embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. The Cavs had reached basketball futility just two weeks ago with a record-setting 26-game losing streak.
But that was all erased for Bryant on Sunday night as he set his sights from the get-go to not play an exhibition game but instead playoff-level basketball.
“You could tell from the start he wanted the MVP. He wasn’t passing the ball at all,” Knicks All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire said. Stoudemire tied LeBron James in scoring with 29 points to lead the East.
One of Bryant’s first baskets was a difficult turnaround fade-away jump shot off the glass just over the reach of Dwyane Wade. Then he made a phenomenal two-handed dunk on the opposite side of the basket after flying and twisting his body in the air under the rim. It brought the West bench and the largely pro-Bryant crowd to their feet.
Bryant was the only player to break double-digit scoring in the first quarter with 11 points. He added 10 more in the second quarter and 13 in the third quarter. All-Star games are not known for their defensive tenacity, but the scoring was still impressive and a sign that number 24 still has what it takes to play at the level of the NBA’s most promising new stars.
