| Lakers Roll Over Wizards At Home Authored by Scott Essman - December 17, 2005 - 9:53 pm
The Kobe Bryant Show returned to Los Angeles on Friday night where the Laker guard posted 41 points, including two three-point goals, plus eight rebounds and four assists in a 97-91 win over the Washington Wizards. It seems as though the sky is the limit for the heir apparent to Michael Jordan. Bryant, with three championships to his name (albeit all three earned with center Shaquille O'Neal) has to earn three more on his own now to match Jordan's prowess. One can see in his game that Bryant is striving to do just that - his season points-per-game scoring average is now 31.6.
Basically unstoppable and unguardable, Bryant mad 14-24 field goal attempts and was all over the court, making key defensive plays, especially down the stretch. In one rebound attempt, he arched his back till it was almost parallel to the floor - he did so barely leaving his feet. Inarguably, the man's athleticism is second to none in the league.
Of note, other Lakers assisted Bryant's dominance of the game, including forward Lamar Odom with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and small forward Devean George with 13 points off of the bench. Certainly, other Lakers contributed, but it hardly seemed to matter on a night when the visiting Washington team shot 34% from the field.
On the visiting side, point guard Gilbert Arenas is a phenomenon, though he was only 6-20 from the field, and forward Antawn Jamison has flashes of brilliance, though on this night, he was just 5-19 in shooting. It makes one wonder what type of team the 9-12 Wizards would have now had they held onto Larry Hughes and Richard Hamilton.
The re-energized Lake Show continues on Sunday versus Houston and on Tuesday versus Dallas; both games will take place at Staples center. |
