Bryant Outworks Pierce And Lakers Win
Written by John Mbugua
Kobe Bryant Biography & Pictures
Two of the best fourth-quarter performers in the NBA battled voraciously, but Kobe came out the victor.
"Bryant scored 16 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter while Pierce had just two of his 26 in the final 12 minutes as the Los Angeles Lakers captured a 105-97 triumph over the Boston Celtics."
"I'm just doing what I need to so," Bryant said. "When the game's on the line, they put the ball in my hands, and we worked on getting in the position where I could deliver."
"This was a big win for us. This was a must win for us. We had a couple of games on this trip where we played well but we just weren't able to close things out, both (against) New Jersey and Cleveland. Tonight was a win that we desperately needed."
"That was ugly to watch on our part," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I just thought we never had any rhythm. It started out on the first pass of the game when we threw it backcourt. If you spot them 16 points and they have a guy like Kobe Bryant on their team, eventually during that run he's going to make a shot and I think that's what that it was."
Paul Pierce's scoring disappeared for the last three quarters after he sprained his right ankle stepping on the left foot of Lakers guard Smush Parker on a drive to the basket.
"I turned (the ankle) in the first quarter and it's a little sore," the Celtics captain said. "I'll see how it feels (Tuesday). I just tried to play through the pain. It's a little sore and there's a sharp pain going through it right now."
"Kobe fought his way through it tonight," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "It was one of those games where the numbers of shots he took was too high, but he thought he was going to get fouled and he took the shots because he felt the pressure on him."
"We just couldn't get any defensive consistency," Pierce said. "They shot well all game and we put ourselves in a hole at halftime. It being the fourth game in five nights and when we have to come back, it's going to be tough. You just can't dig a hole like that and expect to just come back because you're at home."
Written by John Mbugua
Kobe Bryant Biography & Pictures
Kobe Bryant Biography & Pictures
Two of the best fourth-quarter performers in the NBA battled voraciously, but Kobe came out the victor.
"Bryant scored 16 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter while Pierce had just two of his 26 in the final 12 minutes as the Los Angeles Lakers captured a 105-97 triumph over the Boston Celtics."
"I'm just doing what I need to so," Bryant said. "When the game's on the line, they put the ball in my hands, and we worked on getting in the position where I could deliver."
"This was a big win for us. This was a must win for us. We had a couple of games on this trip where we played well but we just weren't able to close things out, both (against) New Jersey and Cleveland. Tonight was a win that we desperately needed."
"That was ugly to watch on our part," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I just thought we never had any rhythm. It started out on the first pass of the game when we threw it backcourt. If you spot them 16 points and they have a guy like Kobe Bryant on their team, eventually during that run he's going to make a shot and I think that's what that it was."
Paul Pierce's scoring disappeared for the last three quarters after he sprained his right ankle stepping on the left foot of Lakers guard Smush Parker on a drive to the basket.
"I turned (the ankle) in the first quarter and it's a little sore," the Celtics captain said. "I'll see how it feels (Tuesday). I just tried to play through the pain. It's a little sore and there's a sharp pain going through it right now."
"Kobe fought his way through it tonight," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "It was one of those games where the numbers of shots he took was too high, but he thought he was going to get fouled and he took the shots because he felt the pressure on him."
"We just couldn't get any defensive consistency," Pierce said. "They shot well all game and we put ourselves in a hole at halftime. It being the fourth game in five nights and when we have to come back, it's going to be tough. You just can't dig a hole like that and expect to just come back because you're at home."
Written by John Mbugua
Kobe Bryant Biography & Pictures
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