Ballin: Kobe Scores 40 of 77, Lakers Miss 20 Free Throws, Lose to Pacers
By Jason McIntyre
LA Lakers 77, Indiana 79: Great job by George Hill attacking the basket on the game-winner; poor job by Pau Gasol stopping penetration. But the real story was that Kobe dropped 40 and the rest of the Lakers were abominable. Non-Kobe shooting: 12-of-48 (25 percent). Non-Kobe free throw shooting: 12-of-30. Non-Kobe 3-point shooting: 1-for-17. Get healthy, quick, Steve Nash!
Philadelphia 100, Dallas 98: The lottery-bound Mavericks fell to 7-8 when Jae Crowder missed a three at the horn. Jrue Holiday, 3rd in assists and 1st in turnovers, scored 18 points. Evan Turner would like people to “stay off his back,” which might mean the fans and his coach.
Minnesota 97, Sacramento 89: Welcome back, Kevin Love! In his 4th game back from a push up-related hand injury, Love had his best game of the year: 23 points, 24 rebounds.
Houston 117, Toronto 101: That’s three in a row for the Rockets, and wait until they Carlos Delfino back! Jeremy Lin: 16 points, 10 assists; James Harden 24 points, 12 assists. And Omer Asik, who everyone (me included) thought the Rockets overpaid for last summer, had 13 points and 18 rebounds, and is averaging 10.4 and 12.4 respectively this season. The 3-12 Raptors are putrid, but rookie Terrence Ross had the best game of his young career: 19 points, including four powerful dunks. Here’s his entire night: