Kobe’s 42 Leads the Lakers Past Chicago

Pouring in 20 first quarter points, Kobe Bryant (42 points on 15-26, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds) led the Los Angeles Lakers as they forged ahead in the final stanza to defeat the Chicago Bulls, 96-87 at the United Center. Erasing any doubts about his broken finger and his recent shooting woes in Utah, Kobe went to work immediately against the Bulls, connecting on 8-10 in the opening period. Chicago held on for a 31-31 tie with the Lakers after taking an early 14-4 lead. Derrick Rose (21 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds), Luol Deng (21 points, 6 rebounds) and Brad Miller (15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) led the Bulls in the scoring column, but it was too much Kobe as he almost single-handedly kept the Bulls at bay.

Pau Gasol (10 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists), Andrew Bynum (11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) and Ron Artest (9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) chipped in when Kobe wasn’t making the Bulls pay for their single-coverage on him. Lamar Odom (9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists), Jordan Farmar (6 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals) and Chicago-native, Shannon Brown (9 points) rounded out the box scores for the Lakers. Los Angeles took a 54-48 lead into halftime as the Bulls remained cold from the field. Only Joakim Noah’s 14 offensive rebounds (11 points, 20 rebounds) kept the Bulls close with precious second chance opportunities.

The Bulls started double teaming Kobe in the second half and as a result, forced him into numerous turnovers. His bandaged finger prevented him from gripping the ball securely or from passing cleanly out of the double team. The Bulls harassment caused him to commit 8 turnovers on his own. But his injured finger did not seem to hamper his offensive output. The Bulls actually took a one point lead at 74-73 to end the third, but that is when the Lakers defense clamped down. Chicago managed only 14 points in the final period and with Kobe resting on the bench to start the 4th quarter, the abbreviated second unit was able to regain the lead which allowed Kobe to get a much deserved breather. Shannon Brown’s hammer dunk energized the Lakers bench and the United Center crowd, and when Kobe re-entered the game, he methodically put them away. Kobe’s icing on the cake came when he posted Deng in the paint, faked right, went back left and under him and lofted a left-handed runner that fell cleanly through the nets.

Kobe’s fifth 40+ game (101) of the season finds him trailing only Michael Jordan (173) and Wilt Chamberlain (271) with more. The Bulls fans were treated to a performance by Kobe worthy of comparison to MJ. Chants of “MVP” rang down as the Bulls were handed their 8th loss in the last 10 games. The Lakers improved their record to 19-4 and travel to Milwaukee where they meet the Bucks in the second game of a back-to-back tomorrow night.