Kobe Bryant: Hot Third Quarter, Clutch Fourth Quarter (video)
By Mike Garcia
Kobe Bryant won the game for the Lakers against Sacramento. At age 36, there is one quality that speaks volumes about his talent. He is currently the league’s leading scorer.
He toned down his scoring in December, dropping from 27.3 points per game in November, to 21.8 points per game. A bit more emphasis has gone into his playmaking, as his assist average jumped from 4.7 to 5.8 between the two months.
Kobe Bryant struggled early against the Sacramento Kings, shooting 4 of 13 from the field at one point through the third quarter. He finished the second half shooting 7 of 14, but the low field goal percentage remains. He’s still shooting just 39% from the field.
All of that being said, Kobe can still come through in the clutch. Remember when the Lakers went 27-12 for a second half run a couple seasons ago? Kobe was running pick-and-roll situations, hitting bigmen with pin-point passes, and coming through late in games to ensure the Laker victory.
That is exactly what happened against Sacramento.
He came through with 32 points and 6 assists on 11 of 27 shooting from the field.
Jeremy Lin showed some point guard IQ out there with an advanced pass late in the first quarter. Kobe established deep position in the post. As Jeremy Lin approached halfcourt, he threw a pass straight to Bryant. This lead to a post up situation within 5′ from the hoop. Kobe drew an And-1 against the athletic Ben McLemore. He finished with 11 points at the half.
Kobe Bryant got hot in the third quarter. Instead of playing the post against McLemore, he played more of a face up game utilizing screens. This opened things up for him along the perimeter, and he hit five field goals in the third, including a heat-check three-pointer in transition.
But, late in the fourth, the defenders played the Lakers differently, as Bryant hit Boozer on a cutting layup and Wesley Johnson on the wing for a three-pointer. He was able to get a breakaway dunk in transition to cut the lead down to one point. After the Kings scored on the other end, Bryant hit a three-pointer to tie the game after an offensive rebound.
Late in the game, Bryant recognized a potential 2-for-1 situation. He attacked the basket early on the shot clock, and drew a foul against Rudy Gay.
He nailed a couple free throws to hold the lead.
It’s just another game for Kobe Bryant.
It’s a great game for a 36 year old.