Bryant sparks LA Lakers to road win over Rockets
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Reuters
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 15, 2009 00:00
HOUSTON - Kobe Bryant's clutch three-pointer capped a 33-point performance and launched the Los Angeles Lakers to a 105-100 road win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
Bryant's long shot with 27 seconds remaining put the Lakers ahead 102-100 and the team never trailed again, bringing the Rockets' three-game winning streak to an end.
"I just rose up and hit it," Bryant told reporters after his only three-pointer of the game.
"Houston played extremely well and we found a way to win," he added. "We came into a hostile (environment) and got a big win"
Bryant had 13 points in the quarter, coming up with his key shot after Shane Battier had given Houston a 100-99 lead with 47 seconds to play with a three-pointer of his own.
The Rockets had a chance to tie the score after Bryant's shot when Derek Fisher fouled Houston's Rafer Alston, but Alston missed two free throws. Pau Gasol sealed the victory with three free throws in the final seven seconds.
Adelman hopeful
Von Wafer scored a career-high 23 points for the Rockets, who were playing without the injured Tracy McGrady. Carl Landry added 21 points and Yao Ming posted 19 points and 17 rebounds.
"If we get that effort every game then we are going to be fine," Rockets coach Rick Adelman told reporters. "We played hard, we competed the whole game, we just didn't make the plays that they made, that Kobe made at the end."
Meanwhile, LeBron James had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 102-87 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
James scored only nine points in the opening half, then had 17 in the third quarter and completed his triple-double with a behind-the-back pass to J.J. Hickson for a layup in the fourth. Delonte West added 19 points and Mo Williams 16 for the Cavs, while Kyle Lowry led the Grizzlies with a career-high 25 points, including 15 from the free-throw line, and reserve Hakim Warrick had 16 points and seven rebounds.
Another memorable performance of the night came in Sacramento as the Orlando Magic established an NBA record by hitting 23 three-pointers in 139-107 demolition of the Kings.
Turkish forward Hidayet "Hedo" Türkoğlu is one of the nine players to connect from the arc. Hedo was 3-for-5 in three-pointers, scoring 17 points in addition to his eight assists.
Jameer Nelson hit five-of-five from long range to lead the way. Overall, Orlando was 23-of-37 from long range (62 percent) and 49-of-81 overall (60.5 percent). The record-breaker was hit by Jeremy Richardson in the fourth quarter, surpassing the previous mark set by Toronto in March of 2005.
"I just rose up and hit it," Bryant told reporters after his only three-pointer of the game.
"Houston played extremely well and we found a way to win," he added. "We came into a hostile (environment) and got a big win"
Bryant had 13 points in the quarter, coming up with his key shot after Shane Battier had given Houston a 100-99 lead with 47 seconds to play with a three-pointer of his own.
The Rockets had a chance to tie the score after Bryant's shot when Derek Fisher fouled Houston's Rafer Alston, but Alston missed two free throws. Pau Gasol sealed the victory with three free throws in the final seven seconds.
Adelman hopeful
Von Wafer scored a career-high 23 points for the Rockets, who were playing without the injured Tracy McGrady. Carl Landry added 21 points and Yao Ming posted 19 points and 17 rebounds.
"If we get that effort every game then we are going to be fine," Rockets coach Rick Adelman told reporters. "We played hard, we competed the whole game, we just didn't make the plays that they made, that Kobe made at the end."
Meanwhile, LeBron James had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 102-87 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
James scored only nine points in the opening half, then had 17 in the third quarter and completed his triple-double with a behind-the-back pass to J.J. Hickson for a layup in the fourth. Delonte West added 19 points and Mo Williams 16 for the Cavs, while Kyle Lowry led the Grizzlies with a career-high 25 points, including 15 from the free-throw line, and reserve Hakim Warrick had 16 points and seven rebounds.
Another memorable performance of the night came in Sacramento as the Orlando Magic established an NBA record by hitting 23 three-pointers in 139-107 demolition of the Kings.
Turkish forward Hidayet "Hedo" Türkoğlu is one of the nine players to connect from the arc. Hedo was 3-for-5 in three-pointers, scoring 17 points in addition to his eight assists.
Jameer Nelson hit five-of-five from long range to lead the way. Overall, Orlando was 23-of-37 from long range (62 percent) and 49-of-81 overall (60.5 percent). The record-breaker was hit by Jeremy Richardson in the fourth quarter, surpassing the previous mark set by Toronto in March of 2005.