Kobe scores 53, but Lakers look lousy again
Bryant does his part, but Grizzlies latest lowly team to stun L.A.
 | Kobe Bryant reacts after the Lakers lost to the Grizzlies 114-111 on Friday. |
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LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant provided a ton of offense. The Los Angeles Lakers’ defense was another story.
Rudy Gay led five players in double figures with 28 points and the Memphis Grizzlies won 114-111 despite 53 points by Bryant against the NBA’s worst road team Friday night.
Bryant described his pile of points as “pretty much” of a waste.
“We didn’t do a good job defensively at all,” he said. “Staying in front of the ball has been a big problem for us. If we can’t solve that problem, then we’ll just have to continue to get penetrated on until we get the big guys back and then they can bail us out by blocking shots to the basket.”
The Lakers lost their second in a row to another of the NBA’s lesser teams, having been beaten by Charlotte on Wednesday night. The latest loss kept them from joining New Orleans and San Antonio in a three-way tie for the Western Conference lead. They are a game back in third.
“We lost to two teams that thankfully we won’t be seeing in the playoffs,” Bryant said. “I don’t think it’s dire straits by any stretch of the imagination, but still we got to buck up here.”
Bryant finished with four fouls. If he gets one more technical foul in the Lakers’ final nine games, he will receive an automatic one-game suspension.
“The guy must not watch soccer,” he said, referring to the official who gave him his 15th technical Wednesday. “I just won’t kick the ball somewhere where somebody can catch it.”
Bryant scored 50 or more points for the 23rd time in the regular season and the second this month. He had 52 against Dallas on March 2. The Lakers fell to 16-7 when he goes for that many.
He was limited to six points in the fourth quarter, when the Lakers nearly erased all of a 10-point deficit. He had 10 rebounds and one assist while taking 37 of the Lakers’ 104 shots. They attempted a franchise record 45 3-pointers, making 15.
“I don’t think it was bad shot selection,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Sasha is a good 3-point shooter, Kobe shot over 50 percent, but it’s just too many opportunities to run. Even if you shoot 40 percent, which is a high percentage for 3-point shots, you end up giving them six out of 10 opportunities to run with long rebounds.”
Darko Milicic had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Hakim Warrick 16 points, Kyle Lowry 11 and Mike Miller 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who are 6-30 on the road and 2-20 away from home against Western Conference teams.
“Road win, playoff team, Kobe going off,” Gay said, ticking off reasons why it was a big win. “We played so well together. We just don’t want to lose. We’re not trying to give up on anything.”
The Grizzlies led by 10 early in the fourth, their largest lead of the game.
Sasha Vujacic hit a 3-pointer to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 109-106 with 3:03 remaining. Miller missed a 3-pointer, but the Lakers couldn’t convert on their end despite four attempts on the same possession, including one by Bryant.
Lowry scored for Memphis, then Vujacic hit another 3-pointer to draw the Lakers within 111-109 with 50 seconds left.
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Lamar Odom missed a 3-pointer after Bryant, tied up in the lane, fed him on the right baseline. Ronny Turiaf fouled Lowry, who made both for a 113-109 lead.
“I got a pretty good look in that corner. It went in and out,” said Odom, who wasn’t feeling well because of a respiratory infection.
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