Sports / Basketball |
Kobe held to 23 as Grizzlies beat Lakers(AP)Updated: 2007-03-28 14:01 Kobe Bryant's string of outstanding games came to an ugly end Tuesday night, and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a most embarrassing loss. Rookie Tarence Kinsey scored five of his career-high 24 points in the last minute, fellow rookie Rudy Gay had 20 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, and the lowly Memphis Grizzlies beat the Lakers 88-86. Bryant, who had scored at least 40 points in five straight games, including 50 in the first four, shot 7-of-26 and scored only 23. He made 53.2 percent of his field goal attempts, including half of his 3-point shots in those big five games. Junior Harrington had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Pau Gasol added 10 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists for the Grizzlies, whose 18-54 record is the NBA's worst, as is their 6-30 road record. Luke Walton scored 15 points, Smush Parker added 14 and Sasha Vujacic 11 for the Lakers (38-33), whose season-high five-game winning streak ended. Lamar Odom had 16 rebounds and 11 assists to go with three points. The Grizzlies won despite playing without Mike Miller, Damon Stoudamire and Chucky Atkins, who are averaging a combined 39 points. Miller and Stoudamire have patella tendinitis -- Miller in both knees, Stoudamire in his right knee -- and Atkins has a strained groin. Starting Lakers center Kwame Brown (sprained left ankle) and backup Maurice Evans (sore right knee) sat out as well. Bryant scored 60 points in the Lakers' 121-119 victory at Memphis last Thursday for his third straight game of at least 50 points. Bryant made his first three shots of the game, but missed 15 of his next 16 before scoring from long range with 11 minutes to play. A 3-pointer by Walton with 1:15 remaining tied the game at 81, but Kinsey made a 3-pointer with 54 seconds left to put the Grizzlies ahead for good. Two free throws by Kinsey with 13 seconds to play made it 86-81, but Bryant made a 3-pointer and two foul shots around a free throw by Gasol to make it a one-point game. Hakim Warrick's foul shot with 6.5 seconds left completed the scoring. After a timeout, Parker missed a 3-pointer from the right corner that could have put Los Angeles ahead. Bryant got the rebound, but Gasol blocked his 15-footer, ending the Lakers' last hope. Gay had 10 points and four rebounds and Harrington added seven points in the third quarter as the Grizzlies outscored Los Angeles 27-15 for a 68-63 lead. Bryant missed all six shots he attempted, being held to two free throws in the period. Bryant scored the game's first five points and had nine of his team's first 11 in the opening 5 1/2 minutes. But he shot 1-of-9 for three points during the remainder of the first half. The Lakers led 27-15 entering the second quarter and by as many as 15 points in the period before settling for a 49-41 halftime lead. The Lakers shot 33-of-96 (34.4 percent) while the Grizzlies shot 37-of-84 (44 percent). |
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