Paul George Racks Up All-Star Votes at First Tally

Being the most notorious workhorse in an earn-it-or-lose-it league, Bryant’s emergence from the shadows and the sidelines is proof that there’s still plenty to be optimistic about in Los Angeles.

“It’s been a wonderful experience, and I’m looking forward to playing this last one”, he said. “It’s like, you compete against a guy and you try different things and sometimes you get the best of them, sometimes they get the best of you”.

All comments that are posted on the beIN SPORTS website do not reflect beIN SPORTS opinion or vision. beIN SPORTS is not legally responsible for any inappropriate comments, users are exclusively responsible for comments they post and is described to be their personal opinion.

Now Bryant turns his attention to one final Christmas showcase, a stage that typically hasn’t gone well for him.

Before the game, two travelling Lakers’ beat writers were split on whether the Lakers would win two games in a row at any point this season.

The Clippers (16-13) have played on Christmas for the past four years, winning three times.

Bryant seemed resigned to being on a team with so much youth and so few victories. “I mean, you can train a cat to bark all you want, but the damn cat’s not going to bark”. Of course no one cares about that.

The Lakers trailed by 21 at one point.

In voting for three spots in the West front-court starting lineup, Bryant sets the pace followed by Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant on 349,473 and the Clippers’ Blake Griffin on 182,107 with Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs in fourth on 164,521. They’ve beaten the Lakers six straight times, matching the longest such streak by the Oklahoma City/Seattle SuperSonics franchise. “They just blistered us”. “That’s just the honest-to-goodness truth”, he added. Seven of them came in the first quarter, including a double-dribble violation against Russell and a traveling call against Randle on consecutive possessions during the final 64 seconds of the period.

Russell Westbrook had 23 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder steamrolled the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in five days, 120-85 on Wednesday night. Bryant actually laughed after securing the ball and drove for an eight-footer.

Bryant, who logged 32 minutes, didn’t practice since his last game said his shoulder was sore after Tuesday’s win but he otherwise felt fine. He tried to pull up and fire a midrange jumper, but Durant, 10 years Bryant’s junior, wasn’t having it. He blocked him again, the second time on the same possession.