In one of the most thrilling games of the 2012-13 NBA regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Golden State Warriors by a score of 118-116. The game was filled with elite scoring outbursts and an untimely injury to a legend.
On the positive end of things, Pau Gasol registered a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. This was complemented by 28 points from Dwight Howard and 34 from Kobe Bryant.
For the Warriors, Stephen Curry scored 47 points on 9-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc. This was yet another brilliant performance by Curry, who has rapidly climbed the ranks of the NBA's stars.
With Stephen Curry performing at an obscene level, Steve Blake stepped up with a huge shooting performance to keep L.A. in it. That includes the game-tying three with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.
Blake made key shots throughout this game, including two free throws with less than one minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Those two freebies tied the game and then gave the Lakers the lead.
Blake finished with 14 points and five assists, thus paling in comparison to Curry's output. With that being said, Blake's free throws won the game, not Curry's shooting.
With Stephen Curry making everything in sight, Kobe Bryant took it upon himself to pile on the points and facilitate L.A.'s offense during the first half. He shot the three-ball, got to the line well and made quality looks to his big men.
Unfortunately, Kobe also suffered injuries to both legs during the game. But as one might expect, he powered through. Still, the quality of his play was at an uncharacteristic low. He struggled from the field, even failing to get adequate rise on lay-up attempts.
In a span of 1:57, Bryant scored eight consecutive points for L.A. This tied the game at 109-109 and gave the Lakers full momentum.
Unfortunately, Bryant also suffered a third injury and was forced to leave the game, but not before he led L.A. to a comeback.
In 26 minutes of play, Earl Clark didn't put on too much of a statistical showcase. He picked up six points on 2-of-3 shooting, blocked one shot and came up with a steal.
Both of Clark's field goals were from three-point range. On a night in which the Warriors made 12 shots from distance, those two shots were key to L.A.'s ability to come back and win.
The only way you could've started any hotter than Pau Gasol was if you achieved what Stephen Curry managed to do. That's an unfair comparison, however, as Curry had 32 points at the half.
Gasol made his first five shots and was more than halfway to a triple-double entering the third quarter. He has been dominant since returning from injury, and tonight was an example of that. He made beautiful passes, including a jaw-dropping alley-oop from the high post to Dwight Howard.
Pau executed a part two by setting a screen for Kobe Bryant, making a touch pass up high and allowing D-12 to throw down a second alley-oop. A beautiful read and feed by Gasol.
This was the story of Gasol's evening, as he continuously made pinpoint passes to feed his teammates. When he wasn't passing, Gasol was crashing the boards and scoring at a high clip.
Dwight Howard was very good early on, scoring at a high rate and making five of his first six free throws. He had a team-high 18 points at the half and played well off of the ball, as he threw down countless alley-oop dunks.
Perhaps most encouraging of all, Howard made a much higher percentage of his 22 free-throw attempts than one might have expected.
Howard scored both late and early, providing a balanced offensive attack throughout. He was Pau Gasol's favorite target for the evening, which opened up L.A.'s offense and allowed it to work the perimeter.
Words cannot express how impressive it is that Metta World Peace has already returned from his recent injury. World Peace received surgery on a torn meniscus and was expected to miss roughly six weeks (via NBA.com). However, he came back in just over two weeks.
World Peace was limited in 24 minutes, but he managed to hit a huge three-point field goal to create an instant momentum swing. He also grabbed six rebounds off of the bench and played quality defense on Klay Thompson.
The Los Angeles Lakers received a brilliant performance from their starting five. Unfortunately, the bench was thin and their statistical contributions limited.
With that being said, Jodie Meeks played excellent effort basketball and committed everything to coming up with the loose balls. Antawn Jamison was limited in playing time but contributed energy on both ends.
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