Kobe Bryant Misses 3rd Straight Game With Sore Shoulder

Is there any chance he aggravated his injury and will be forced into a quiet night in Los Angeles? Only one voter named Wilt Chamberlain, who played just five season with the Lakers and remains the only National Basketball Association player to ever score 100 points in a single game. They improved to 5-0 without the injured Griffin. “These past few games we’ve played with a lot of confidence and played at a better pace”.

Center Nerlens Noel had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers (3-32). However, the 76ers’ starting backcourt of point guard Ish Smith and Isaiah Canaan combined to make just five of 30 shots, including a one-for-10 effort from 3-point range.

“We really made new strides on this trip”, Okafor said. We’re a young team, they’re a young team.

The first half was a shame for both teams. Austin Rivers and Paul added four points each in the spurt.

“He came down the lane, had a little ball fake”, Clarkson said. Los Angeles took a 25-10 lead after the first quarter and then a 43-22 lead into the half.

The Lakers now hold a record of 7 wins and 27 losses.

“I had my head in the huddle, but I heard about it from the crowd”, said Nance, who also had 15 points.

In the second, the Clippers launched their big run, propelled by Jordan’s raw power at the rim. He had five points and five rebounds. That rift left the building once Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were shipped off to Brooklyn. “Everybody is playing at the right pace and right spirit”. Also, the Lakers are now just two wins behind the Brooklyn Nets for the third-worst record and three wins behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the fourth-worst record. Through three quarters neither team could gain much separation due to their respective inefficiencies on offense. The Lakers could possible pare down even further at the trade deadline, tossing Roy Hibbert or Lou Williams to a contender in exchange for a draft pick, but Kupchak’s hands are more or less tied. Los Angeles captured the second at Staples Center in a seventh game.

The Suns rallied in the fourth quarter, but the damage had already been done and the closest the Suns got was within 14 points. After three quarters the Lakers led 72-70 with the largest lead of the game to that point from either team being six points. “He was very reluctant to take them earlier in the season, but now he’s knocking them down on a consistent basis”.

Bryant had off-season surgery to fix a torn rotator cuff and felt soreness in the shoulder after throwing down a dunk December 19 against Oklahoma City. And for those who has a strong memory, World Peace bailed out Bryant’s bad shooting night in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals.

“He’s a wonderful teammate, understands why [he’s coming off the bench]”, Sixers coach Brett Brown said of Okafor.