With 14 games in the first 21 days of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers at times have resembled a tired group of players. Well except for Kobe Bryant, that is. The Lakers lost Saturday night to the Los Angeles Clippers 102-94 at Staples Center, but Bryant, in his 16th NBA season, continued his scoring spree.
Bryant scored 42 points against the Clippers, including 21 in the third quarter that saw the Lakers cut a 13-point deficit to just two points. It was the fourth straight game Bryant has scored 40 points, remarkable considering Kobe has been playing all season with a torn ligament (the lunotriquetral ligament, if you are keeping track) in his right wrist. Bryant has taken over the NBA scoring lead at 32.0 points per game, thanks to quite a run over his last eight games.
| Kobe Bryant Last Eight Games | |||||
| Date | Opp | FG | FT | 3-Pt | Pts |
| Jan 3 | Houston | 14-29 | 7-9 | 2-7 | 37 |
| Jan 5 | at Portland | 13-24 | 4-5 | 0-4 | 30 |
| Jan 6 | Golden State | 13-28 | 12-14 | 1-3 | 39 |
| Jan 8 | Memphis | 11-22 | 3-6 | 1-5 | 26 |
| Jan 10 | Phoenix | 18-31 | 12-13 | 0-3 | 48 |
| Jan 11 | at Utah | 14-31 | 11-11 | 1-3 | 40 |
| Jan 13 | Cleveland | 15-31 | 8-10 | 4-7 | 42 |
| Jan 14 | at Clippers | 14-28 | 12-14 | 2-5 | 42 |
| Totals | 50.0% | 84.1% | 29.7% | 38.0 | |
Bryant won the Western Conference Player of the Week last week by averaging 33.0 points while the Lakers won three of four contests. This week, the Lakers were 3-1 again and Bryant averaged 43.0 points per game. It seems safe to say Kobe will win a second straight weekly honor this week, which would be the 30th of Bryant's career.
For more news and information on Kobe and the Lakers, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.