Odd NFL weekend includes talk of Curry in ownership
Down 3 starters, Golden State prevails in OT
LOS ANGELES — Thousands of No. 8 and No. 24 Lakers jerseys riddled a capacity Staples Center crowd of 18,997 on Monday night. Those Kobe Bryant fans had bought tickets to see the longtime face of the franchise’s numbers retired, only to watch Kevin Durant help the Warriors steal a 116-114 overtime victory.
For much of the extra period, Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball — who scored seven of his 16 points in overtime — played a major role. His driving layup with 1:03 left put Los Angeles up 113-112. Moments later, after getting fouled under the basket by Brandon Ingram, Durant nailed two free throws to give Golden State back the lead.
With seven seconds remaining and the game tied, he stopped at the top of the arc, faked hard to his left to create separation from Ball, dribbled right and drilled a 22-foot pull-up jumper for the gamewinner. It was the lasting image on a night Durant overcame 10-for-29 shooting to post 36 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks.
“That was a Kobe night,” Durant said. “I had to get them up tonight for Kobe.”
With Stephen Curry sidelined by a sprained right an-
kle, Durant has showed how fortunate Golden State is to have another MVP to shoulder the load. He has recorded at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in four of the five games Curry has missed.
In addition to Curry, Draymond Green (right shoulder), Shaun Livingston (right knee) and Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder) were on the Warriors’ inactive list Monday. Durant exorcised the memory of missing his first seven shots by scoring 12 of the Warriors’ 14 points in overtime.
“If you think about Kobe’s career, how many games did he have where maybe things weren’t going his way, and he hit the game-winning shot?” head coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s what the great players do . ... That’s what KD did tonight.”
The hype surrounding Bryant’s halftime ceremony seemed only to embolden a Lakers team that arrived at Staples Center having lost seven of its previous nine games. Outside the arena, a pop-up amusement park dubbed “KobeLand” featuring a massive Ferris wheel had been assembled. Thousands of fans clogged that block more than three hours before tipoff.
After digging an early 18-10 hole, the Warriors closed the first quarter on a 22-6 run to seize an eight-point lead. Lakers center Brook Lopez didn’t return after leaving the game late in the second with a sprained right ankle. In the waning seconds of that first half, Los Angeles forward Larry Nance Jr. took a giant stride into the key and threw down a dunk over Durant’s outstretched arm.
Instead of reviewing video during the intermission, Golden State returned to the floor to see Bryant’s two jerseys unveiled in the Staples Center rafters.
The Warriors — many of whom grew up idolizing Bryant — stood in front of their bench as the fans chanted “M-V-P;” Magic Johnson called Bryant “the greatest to have ever worn the purple and gold,” and Lakers President Jeanie Buss got choked up thanking Bryant for his loyalty. Bryant, wearing a black suit, white shirt and black tie, took the microphone and stressed that “anything is possible” with diligence.
The emotions of the night appeared to bleed into the game. After draining a threepointer in the opening seconds of the third quarter, Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma glared at the Warriors’ bench. Durant was soon assessed a technical foul for jawing with the referee. Midway through the third, after blocking an Ingram shot attempt, Jordan Bell stared down Ingram, who was on the floor and apparently injured.
Ingram returned to score 12 fourth-quarter points, including a driving layup with 27 seconds left in regulation to knot the game 102-102. Durant and Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed threepoint tries to send Golden State to its second overtime of the season. Its first came three weeks earlier against Los Angeles at Staples Center.
In that game, Curry had 13 of his 28 points in the extra period to help the Warriors escape with a 127-123 win. Durant, in Curry’s absence Monday, reinforced the notion that he is more than capable of paving the way to victory.
“It was amazing night,” Durant said. “I’m just glad we won.”