In what was perhaps the easiest-to-predict sports story of 2012, a broken nose and concussion did practically nothing to slow Kobe Bryant down. The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Sacramento Kings on Friday night and came away with the 115-107 win, improving to 16-2 at home. The Lakers have now won seven of their last 10 games.
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The Lakers jumped out to a five-point lead by the end of the first quarter. They led 65-58 at halftime and only a big fourth quarter by the Kings managed to make the final score as close as it was. The Kings outscored the Lakers 33-23 in the final quarter but it was a classic case of too little, too late.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers in the game with 38 points, also picking up eight rebounds, three assists and a steal. Andrew Bynum added a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Metta World Peace and Pau Gasol each put up 15 points for Los Angeles. On the Kings side, only Francisco Garcia had 18 points and Marcus Thornton added 15. DeMarcus Cousins managed a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
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