| Kobe Looks Lost At True Home Authored by Scott Essman - November 12, 2005 - 7:42 pm
Kobe Bryant’s heart may be in Los Angeles, but he’s still Philadelphia’s native son. They Philly-born Bryant and his Lakers came to town against the 76ers, but Bryant struggled, making only seven of 27 shot attempts, and the Lakers lost 85-81.
Yes, Bryant did have the ball and a tying shot attempt with five seconds left in the game, but after that miss, one of 20 in his game last night, the Bryant and the Lakers’ hopes faded away.
Last night’s contest, which belonged more to 76er guard Allen Iverson – second only to Bryant in NBA points-per-game scoring average – was a regular season homecoming for Bryant, a yearly game he relishes. Yet the 76er defense stifled the Laker star, who was often challenged by 21-year-old guard-forward Andre Iguodala – both men are 6’6”.
With Bryant closely guarded, other Lakers had scoring
opportunities: center Chris Mihm scored 20 points, forward Lamar Odom had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and guard Smush Parker had 13 points. Nonetheless, the night, which could have belonged to Bryant, ended quietly as he managed just 17 points though he led the team with 7 assists.
Luckily, the Lakers have only one more contest on this road trip – Monday at Memphis – before returning to Los Angeles for a five-game homestand. |
