Daily Dribble: Kobe Leads Comeback

December 30, 2009 10:34am CST

Kobe's 44 Points Sparks Comeback

The Lakers had lost two of their last three and they were welcoming a Warriors team that had just rattled off consecutive wins over the Suns and Celtics. Ron Artest remained sidelined with a concussion and Phil Jackson's Lakers were playing their fourth game in five nights. Perhaps it's not a big surprise then that the Warriors got out to a 60-53 halftime lead.

However, Kobe Bryant once again stepped up and this time delivered a season high in points (44), assists (11), and made free throws (16). He scored 27 points in the second half, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and went perfect from the free-throw line. "By his effort alone, I think we owe this game to him in the win column," said coach Jackson afterwards. Of course, he wasn't alone. Pau Gasol delivered 27 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks while hitting 10-of-16 from the field.

The Warriors were led by Corey Maggette's 25 points. Maggette has started nine straight games and averaged 21.1 points and 6.8 rebounds on 62.3 percent shooting. Monta Ellis had 22 points on 23 shots to go with seven assists and just one turnover. C.J. Watson had another productive game off the bench with 14 points, four assists, four treys, and two steals. The Warriors bench outscored the Lakers 44-25.

At 9-22, the Warriors are 14th in the Western Conference and have the fourth worst record in the league. Regardless, they've proven over their last three games that they remain a very dangerous opponent.

"(Kobe Bryant) is amazing," Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "To be able to shoot like he did with the finger problems that he has on his shooting hand, it's amazing. I love watching him play, and it's always a pleasure to coach against him." Bryant is averaging 38.2 points over his last five games and has scored at least 40 points on seven occasions this season.

Cavaliers Lockdown Hawks in Fourth Quarter
For three quarters, the Hawks were hanging with the team that swept them out of the playoffs a season ago. However, they failed to hit a basket over a nine-minute span, mostly coming in the fourth quarter, and eventually fell 95-84 to the Cavaliers. LeBron James once again put together an impressive stat line despite hitting only 6-of-20 shots. The reigning MVP finished with 14 points, 10 assists, eight boards, five steals, and a block. Mo Williams delivered 20 points and five assists, but Delonte West once again proved to be the "X" factor between these two teams. West came through with 17 points, five boards, two steals, and a ferocious dunk over Josh Smith.

West was perhaps the primary reason Joe Johnson was held to 15 points and committed four turnovers. Johnson scored 11 quick points to start the game, but once West came off of the bench, the Hawks' star player struggled. Jamal Crawford picked up some slack with a game-high 26 points, including 4-of-5 from downtown, but the Hawks were outrebounded 43-30 and hit only 16-of-26 (61.5 percent) free throws.

The two teams meet again tonight, this time in Cleveland. The Hawks' normally potent offense has failed to score over 85 points in five straight games against the Cavaliers and they have been beat by double digits in each of those outings.

Fastbreak
For the ninth time in 14 December games, Kevin Durant scored at least 30 points. This time he dropped 35 points, to go with 11 rebounds, as the Thunder defeated the Wizards 110-98. Antawn Jamison had 28 points but just three boards while Gilbert Arenas came through with 24 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, four treys, three steals, and two blocks. The Thunder bench outscored the Wizards 28-8. "Right now, we stink -- and we're showing it," Arenas said. "You can sit here and talk about it every day, every game, every loss. But until we can turn it around, we stink."

The Bulls improved to 2-0 with Tyrus Thomas back in the mix as they defeated the Pacers 104-95. Thomas played 31 minutes and delivered eight points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks, though he shot just 2-of-10 from the floor. Derrick Rose had 28 points, six assists, six turnovers, and five rebounds.

The Pistons are back at 100 percent, but the losing continues. On Tuesday, they were beat 104-87 at home by the Knicks. David Lee had 30 points on 13-of-19 shooting to go with 12 rebounds. Richard Hamilton hit just 5-of-21 shots to finish with 16 points and the Pistons shot just 41.8 percent against the Knicks.

Despite a triple-double from Chris Paul (16 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists) the Hornets fell 108-100 in Houston. David West hit 18-of-30 shots to finish with 44 points and 12 rebounds. The rest of the team didn't do much and the Rockets got an efficient and balanced effort from their eight-man rotation. Aaron Brooks led the way with 27 points, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.

The Spurs easily handled the visiting Timberwolves in a 117-99 win. Manu Ginobili nearly had a triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds. He also had three treys and three steals. Roger Mason was good for 18 points off the bench and Richard Jefferson finished with 24 points. It was just the second time Jefferson reached 20 points since November 11. Kevin Love notched his 11th straight double-double with 18 points and 12 boards.

The T-Wolves traded point guard Jason Hart to the Suns for Alando Tucker, a second round pick, and cash.

Stars in Suits
Troy Murphy sprained his ankle in the Pacers loss to the Bulls and he is expected to be out for tonight's game and probably longer. Tyler Hansbrough missed the game with an inner ear infection.

Ron Artest hopes to return to the Lakers by Friday night, but he has yet to run or participate in basketball-related activities. He fell down his steps on Christmas night and suffered a concussion. "I'm grateful to be up and talking, and it could have been a whole lot worse," Artest said.

Tyreke Evans remains doubtful to play in tonight's game against the 76ers due to a sprained ankle. Expect the Kings to be cautious with their rookie guard.

Marcus Camby remains questionable to play on Wednesday due to an injured left knee.

Andrew Bynum has not missed any games but recently complained about tightness in his surgically repaired knee. He is undergoing treatment for the ailment but the injury is not believed to be too serious.

Rajon Rondo tweaked his hamstring during his 30-point performance on Monday. He says that he does not plan on missing any games. Glen Davis is expected to be out for awhile after spraining his ankle in the Celtics loss to the Warriors on Monday.

Jose Calderon hoped that he is back by January 6 in time to face the Magic. He has missed seven straight games with a hip injury.

Will Bynum missed last night's game against the Knicks with two injured ankles. He has played through the injury for most of the month, but the Pistons can finally afford him some rest.