The Lakers have been surging out of the All-Star break improving their record to 51-20. The latest game, in dramatic fashion, ended up taking three overtimes in a thriller. The Lakers ended up defeating the Suns 139-137 in one of the most exciting games of the season.
Kobe Bryant, still recovering from a sprained ankle that he called the “worst” in his career, was able to show his resiliency dropping in 42 points on 15-31 shooting. Furthermore, Kobe was one assist shy of a triple-double grabbing 12 rebounds and collecting 9 assists. Bryant said after the game, “We had an opportunity to put them in a little bit of a hole in terms of getting into the playoffs and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy doing it.”
In the 3rd overtime, Kobe drove the ball up with 14 seconds remaining and took a difficult running floater in transition. He made the shot and that put the Lakers up by 4, sealing the game.
Bryant’s season-high 42 point output marks the third this season he’s reached 40+ and 107th of his career; that is more than twice as many as the next active player Shaquille O’Neal with 49.
“We’re the champs,” Bryant said. “We’ve got a lot of mental toughness, and we just keep on fighting. It’s not anything new.”
The Lakers play host to the Clippers Friday night.
