In the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, Kobe Bryant went with a different approach as a facilitator rather than a scorer. The strategy seemed to work in the team’s favor with the Los Angeles Lakers in control early.
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Veteran point guard Mike Conley admitted after the game that Kobe facilitating early gave the Lakers an edge, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Grizzlies guard Mike Conley: "Kobe Bryant distributing & being a facilitator for them early, that helped them."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 27, 2014
Heading into halftime against the Grizzlies, the Lakers had a four-point lead and appeared in control. Jeremy Lin helped shoulder the scoring load while Kobe took a backseat in that department.
Although Kobe did make an effort to get his teammates involved, the five-time NBA champion only finished with two assists. The 36-year-old is currently averaging 4.2 assists per game this season, but has been highly criticized for ill-advised shots and not trusting his teammates.
Bryant also committed four turnovers in the loss and ultimately finished with a game-high 22 points.
Ronnie Price and Lin ended up leading the team in assists with five apiece. Conley finished with a game-high seven assists to go along with 19 points helping lead the Grizzlies to a second win on the season over the Lakers, 99-93.
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