Ray Allen smothers Kobe in Lakers loss
Kobe Bryant struggled for 22 points on 8-of-29 shooting.
Ray Allen, with help from his Sonics, hounded Kobe Bryant all night, forcing Kobe to contribute nothing to the Los Angeles Lakers for stretches up to a quarter in length.
"We knew Kobe was going to get his shots," Allen said. "It was just a matter of making him take tough shots, keeping a body in his (face) and rebound his missed shots. I think we did as good of a job that we could do."
"We went into the game with idea of Ray trying to push Kobe to a certain part of the floor and then there would always be help," Seattle coach Bob Hill said. "I thought Ray did a good job for the most part in pushing him there and then our big guys were ready to make him at least take a jump shot. Kobe is just a freak of nature - unbelievable."
Bryant missed a crucial free throw and three 3-pointers in the waning seconds, ending one of his worst games of the season. He did not speak to reporters afterward.
"We wanted to keep an extra guy in front of Kobe," Hill said. "And keep the last guy open. When the ball was below the foul line, I think we did a really good job of that."
"Myself, I was just trying to keep pace with him offensively," said Allen, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds. "I need to keep him tired because if he's working on just one end of the court he has more energy to use offensively."
"I thought we did a good job," Watson said. "We have come in here and helped the team and elevating the team to a more athletic team and a quicker team in transition. We want to be competitive and I think we are."
"The guys here are believing in me," Wilcox said. "We are getting out and running and that is what I do. It is an easy fit for me because they were running before I got here. I've just added a little something extra to it."
Luke Walton scored a season-high 17 points and Smush Parker added 15 for the Lakers (33-31), who had won four of their last five games. They were coming off a solid win at San Antonio on Friday but stumbled with another bad home loss.
"It does hurt because we are in a playoff race so we can't let this get us down if we expect to be a championship team," Lakers forward Brian Cook said.
Lewis scored 18 points and Wilcox added 13 as Seattle raced to a 64-55 halftime lead. Los Angeles never led in the second half, although Cook's jumper forged a 74-74 tie midway through the third period.
"Seattle really hurt us with their transition game," Cook said. "They got a lot of easy layups and it looked like we weren't getting back on defense."
written by John Mbugua
Kobe Bryant Biography & Pictures
Ray Allen, with help from his Sonics, hounded Kobe Bryant all night, forcing Kobe to contribute nothing to the Los Angeles Lakers for stretches up to a quarter in length.
"We knew Kobe was going to get his shots," Allen said. "It was just a matter of making him take tough shots, keeping a body in his (face) and rebound his missed shots. I think we did as good of a job that we could do."
"We went into the game with idea of Ray trying to push Kobe to a certain part of the floor and then there would always be help," Seattle coach Bob Hill said. "I thought Ray did a good job for the most part in pushing him there and then our big guys were ready to make him at least take a jump shot. Kobe is just a freak of nature - unbelievable."
Bryant missed a crucial free throw and three 3-pointers in the waning seconds, ending one of his worst games of the season. He did not speak to reporters afterward.
"We wanted to keep an extra guy in front of Kobe," Hill said. "And keep the last guy open. When the ball was below the foul line, I think we did a really good job of that."
"Myself, I was just trying to keep pace with him offensively," said Allen, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds. "I need to keep him tired because if he's working on just one end of the court he has more energy to use offensively."
"I thought we did a good job," Watson said. "We have come in here and helped the team and elevating the team to a more athletic team and a quicker team in transition. We want to be competitive and I think we are."
"The guys here are believing in me," Wilcox said. "We are getting out and running and that is what I do. It is an easy fit for me because they were running before I got here. I've just added a little something extra to it."
Luke Walton scored a season-high 17 points and Smush Parker added 15 for the Lakers (33-31), who had won four of their last five games. They were coming off a solid win at San Antonio on Friday but stumbled with another bad home loss.
"It does hurt because we are in a playoff race so we can't let this get us down if we expect to be a championship team," Lakers forward Brian Cook said.
Lewis scored 18 points and Wilcox added 13 as Seattle raced to a 64-55 halftime lead. Los Angeles never led in the second half, although Cook's jumper forged a 74-74 tie midway through the third period.
"Seattle really hurt us with their transition game," Cook said. "They got a lot of easy layups and it looked like we weren't getting back on defense."
written by John Mbugua
Kobe Bryant Biography & Pictures
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