Kobe Tames the Grizzlies

Playing with their chests slightly puffed out, the Memphis Grizzlies had the Los Angeles Lakers exactly where they wanted, down 96-93 with a minute left to play, except that they managed to let Kobe Bryant hit consecutive three-pointers to escape with the narrow victory, 99-98 at FedEx Forum. Bryant, (32 points on 13-19, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocked shots) back after missing the previous five games due to a sore left ankle, carried the Lakers in the 4th quarter when it appeared that they were heading for another disappointing performance against the resurgent Grizzlies. Gone was the team play that had carried the Kobe-less Lakers to a 4-1 record in his absence. Gone too was any resemblance of a team battling for the best overall record in the league as they were sorely outplayed by a young, up-and-coming Memphis team that currently sits on the bubble in the competitive Western Conference Playoff race. OJ Mayo (25 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 turnovers) missed two costly free throws down the stretch that would have given the Griz a 4-point advantage with :18 seconds remaining on the clock. Instead, it was Kobe displaying his arsenal of heroics once again, nailing a deep three with :04 seconds left. Mayo’s off-balance fade away jumper caromed harmlessly off the rim as a relieved Lakers squad embraced their savior.

Pau Gasol (22 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocked shots) and Andrew Bynum (15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal) battled Memphis’ tandem of Zach Randolph (20 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists, 3 blocked shots) and Rudy Gay (17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots) to a virtual stalemate. Derek Fisher (10 points, 3 assists, 3 steals) and Shannon Brown (8 points, 2 rebounds) helped offset the poor shooting performances by Ron Artest (3 points on 1-9, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals) and Lamar Odom (5 points on 2-6, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal). After securing a 27-16 first period lead, the Lakers fell into sloppy play and allowed Memphis to crawl back into the game, trailing only 53-48 at halftime. The Lakers appeared to leave their game and their enthusiasm in the locker room as Memphis outscored the Lakers, 33-23 in the period to go from five points down to five points up. The 4th saw the Lakers floundering on offense as turnovers (17 overall) and missed free throws (19-26 for 73%) saw Memphis’ lead grow to as much as 91-82 with 7:33 to go in the contest. But unfortunately for the Grizzlies, it was all Kobe from that point on as he reasserted himself as the best closer in the Association.