During his final visit to Washington on Wednesday night (in a professional basketball-playing capacity, that is), Kobe Bryant put in a vintage, Mamba-like performance, complete with crunch-time scoring to help seal the victory over the Wizards and give the Lakers their third win of the season. Vino finished with 31 points on relatively-efficient 10-of-24 shooting (given his overall woefulness from the field so far this season).
He was off to a hot start right from the tip as he poured in 18 points on 5-of-11 from the field in the first half and sunk difficult shot after difficult shot. Late in the fourth quarter with under a minute remaining, he scored five points in a span of 28 seconds on back-to-back possessions, including this three-pointer that helped put the game out of reach for good.
After it all, he got a raucous ovation from a highly-appreciative hometown crowd.
The Lakers got a balanced all-around effort as they had five other players in double-digit scoring, led by Jordan Clarkson, who added 18 points, four rebounds and three steals. Julius Randle also posted a monster double-double for Los Angeles with 15 points and 19 rebounds on the night. The Kobe Bryant farewell tour continues as the Lakers head to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Friday night.
