The Los Angeles Lakers got one of their best wins of the season Sunday night when the team defeated the Toronto Raptors, 129-122. The game ended up going to overtime and thanks to some clutch plays on both ends of the court, the Lakers were able to snap their four game losing streak.
However, looking back the Lakers were fortunate enough to sneak away with a win as the team struggled from the free throw line. More specifically, Kobe Bryant missed a crucial free throw in the fourth quarter that could have all but put away the Raptors. Instead the match went into overtime and despite another disappointing trip to the line, Bryant was able to hit timely field goals to guide the Lakers to a win.
After the game, Bryant spoke about his difficulties from the free throw line down the stretches of games via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Kobe told me his poor free throw shooting is all legs: “I’m trying to figure out how to adjust.”
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 1, 2014
Kobe explained that during game the ball carries b/c of energy & momentum but FT line is a static situation, which is what he’s adjusting to
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 1, 2014
Coach Byron Scott is making a conscious effort of having Bryant fresh late in the game and is keeping him on the bench for a few extra minutes to make that possible. Kobe has not been very efficient from the field this season and with this new minutes structure, the coaching staff is hoping that he can be more reliable with games on the line.
Kobe finished the game with an impressive triple-double as he notched 31 points with 12 assists and 11 rebounds. As for the free throw shooting, Bryant went 9-13 and is currently shooting 78.3 percent from the line on the season.
[divide]NBA Record: Kobe Bryant First With 6,000 Assists And 30,000 Points