Young Sinks Three-Point Shot In OT To Help Lakers Take Down Spurs
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Kobe Bryant didn't catch Michael Jordan, though he got a victory thanks to Nick Young.
Young scored 29 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds left in overtime, Bryant had 22 points and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a shaky ending to beat the San Antonio Spurs 112-110 on Friday night.
Bryant needed 30 points to tie Jordan for third place on the career scoring list but will have to wait until Sunday in Minnesota to possibly surpass the Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer.
Tim Duncan had 19 points and 18 rebounds for San Antonio (16-7), which had its six-game home winning streak snapped.
Bryant's final basket in regulation was a 3-pointer in front of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich as the shot clock sounded with 1:59 remaining, nodding his head in celebration as he trotted down the court with the Lakers ahead 101-92.
That's when things went wrong for Los Angeles.
San Antonio scored eight points in a minute, capped by Danny Green's 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to cut Los Angeles' lead to 101-100. Bryant missed his final two jumpers and Manu Ginobili made a free throw to tie the game with 6 seconds remaining. Duncan missed a turnaround jumper at the end of regulation.
Bryant missed his final five shots while going 7 of 22, giving up numerous shot opportunities in favor of firing passes to his teammates. He finished with nine assists, but many of his passes led to secondary feeds for baskets.
Young was well beyond the arc with Ginobili in his face and the shot clock about to expire on the final basket.
Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill each had 14 points for Los Angeles (7-16).
The Spurs were without defensive stalwart Kawhi Leonard, who missed his second straight game with a bruised right hand, leaving Green to guard Bryant.
Green turned the tables early, hitting consecutive three-pointers against Bryant to open the game. Green missed a reverse layup, which Duncan promptly put back for an 8-0 lead 2 minutes into the game.
The Lakers missed their first six shots, including a 20-foot jumper by Bryant.
Trailing 10-0, Bryant kept the ball to himself to jump-start the team's offense, as he has done throughout much of the season. He scored the Lakers' first five points on an 18-foot jumper and three free throws.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Bryant received an enthusiastic thumbs-up from Popovich as the Lakers superstar took the court for the opening tipoff. . Bryant is tied with James Worthy for sixth on the Lakers' career blocks list with 624. ... Bryant has been the team's leading scorer in all but four games this season and shared top honors with Lin in another.
Spurs: San Antonio is 12-0 when it has at least 25 assists and 8-1 when its bench scores at least 40 points. . The Spurs have five players scoring in double figures this season, led by Tony Parker at 16.6 points and three others averaging at least eight points. ... San Antonio has the best overall record since the 1997-98 season, going 966-402 for a .706 winning percentage. Despite their recent struggles, the Lakers are second during that span at .626 (855-511).
UP NEXT
Lakers: Visit Minnesota on Sunday.
Spurs: Visit Denver on Sunday.
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