On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers got off to a disastrous start against the Golden State Warriors and found themselves down by 18 at halftime. To start the second half, Kobe Bryant switched defensive assignments with Ronnie Price and guarded Stephen Curry for the entire quarter.
— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Mamba Strikes Back” T-Shirts? —
While Curry was fairly quiet in the third quarter, he nailed a deep three-pointer with Bryant hounding him which resulted in the five-time champion giving him a pat on the back. After the game, Bryant shared why he challenged Curry via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Kobe on challenging Curry: "Even at this age, those are one of those things I thrive on the most, is trying to keep up w/ these young bucks"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 13, 2014
After two strong performances to start the preseason, Bryant struggled with only six points on 3-13 shooting and four turnovers in 24 minutes. While Kobe was critical of his play following the game, the five-time champion is still in the process of figuring out his game after two consecutive season-ending injuries.
With about two weeks before the start of the regular season against the Houston Rockets, the Lakers will look to improve on both ends of the court. Although Steve Nash did not play the second half because he “didn’t feel quite right,” the Lakers may potentially have Jeremy Lin, Xavier Henry, Ryan Kelly and Jordan Clarkson returning for their next preseason game.
[divide]Kobe Bryant Reacts To Kevin Durant Fracturing His Foot