Lakers play outside to lighten spirits after Bryant’s death
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Before the Los Angeles Lakers practiced on the final day before their first game since Kobe Bryant’s death, they played.
The players, their coaching staff and general manager Rob Pelinka took to the park across the street from the team’s headquarters Thursday to kick around a soccer ball and throw a pigskin.
The sight of these basketball big men straining to make saves in goal or loping underneath LeBron James’ 30-yard passes brought smiles and laughter to fans walking by. The excursion also seemed to lift the spirits of the players, who got a fun respite from a rough week.
“It’s a beautiful day out, and there’s always therapeutic benefits to sunshine and being outside in fresh air,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.
The Lakers will return to the court Friday night at Staples Center to face the Portland Trail Blazers in their first game since Bryant’s death along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven more in a helicopter crash Sunday.
The Lakers will hold a pregame tribute to the Bryants and the other victims, although the franchise wants the details kept private until game time.
“I would imagine it probably makes it a little harder than an ordinary game with all the emotions and that stuff, but we shouldn’t do it any other way,” Vogel said. “It’s the right thing to do, and an important night for our franchise and for Laker Nation.”
Bryant retired in 2016 after a 20-year career with the Lakers. He remained a franchise icon and kept close connections to many team employees, all the way up to Pelinka — Bryant’s longtime agent — and owner Jeanie Buss. Pelinka issued a statement through the Lakers on Thursday, while Buss posted a heartfelt letter to Bryant and his family on Instagram.
“My father loved you like a son, which makes us family,” Buss wrote before going on to describe a lunch with Kobe and Gianna in which she found inspiration and strength to become the franchise’s leader after the death of her father, Jerry.
Pelinka was Gianna Bryant’s godfather, and he referred to Bryant as his “best friend” while describing the tragedy as “an amputation of part of my soul.”
“For any of us who knew them, there is an irreplaceable void left behind,” Pelinka wrote. “But I am also finding that there is a hope. For now, each new step for me will be full of deep love and prayers, as a heavy sorrow for Vanessa (Bryant and their daughters) Natalia, Bianka, and Capri, and all the families involved, is slowly redeemed into something healed and new.”
Spanish big man Pau Gasol, Bryant’s most important teammate on two Lakers championship teams, also posted poignant thoughts on Twitter.
“I will be heartbroken for a long time, but I will forever be thankful for having had (and) shared so much together,” Gasol wrote. “You inspired me and pushed me to be a better version of myself everyday. As you have done with many others.”
The loss also still pains James and the players, who all decided not to speak to the media for the second straight day. Before Vogel coached his players through a workout to prepare for the Blazers, he got his players outside and across the street to loosen up.
“We are striking a balance of trying to make guys feel good,” Vogel said. “Laughter is always a good remedy for something like this when it’s appropriate. Today’s workout outside, it’s not the first time we’ve done that, but it does feel good to be out there.”
SEATTLE — After going through its own series of close, late-game losses, Arizona finally found the formula to avoid another late defeat and pick up its first road win of the season.
In the process, the Wildcats added to Washington’s own miserable stretch of crushing setbacks.
“You get in these games, eventually you’re going to be able to punch one out,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “I really give our team a lot of credit for playing all the way to the end.”
Jemarl Baker Jr. made his fourth 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining to give Arizona the lead, and the Wildcats held off Washington for a 75-72 win on Thursday night.
Arizona closed the game on an 11-3 run, holding the Huskies to just one field goal over the final 6 ½ minutes. Baker had nine of the 11 points during the run and finished with a gamehigh 17 points off the bench for the Wildcats.
Baker had just 14 total points in the previous three games combined, and the 17 points were a season-high.
Nico Mannion added 16 points and Stone Gettings had 13 as the Wildcats (14-6, 4-3 Pac-12) rebounded from last Saturday’s second-half collapse against rival Arizona State.
The meltdown against the Sun Devils added to earlier close losses to Baylor, Gonzaga, St. John’s and Oregon. This time, the Wildcats
made the needed plays in the closing moments.
“We’ve been in so many close games — ASU, Oregon — it’s been literally one play away. It was just really nice to be able to pull one out,” Gettings said.
RaeQuan Battle led Washington (12-10, 2-7) with 14 points off the bench and his 3-pointer with 1:42 remaining gave Washington a 72-70 lead. It was the Huskies only made basket during a forgettable closing stretch that added to the long list of late blown leads this season.
It was the sixth time in conference play the Huskies had a late lead and ended up on the losing side. Nahziah Carter, Battle and Marcus Tsohonis all missed shots in the final minute with a chance to tie or give the Huskies the lead.
Carter finished with 13 points for Washington, which lost its fourth straight. Hameir Wright and Jaden McDaniels both added 12.
“We’re making mistakes on both ends and we’re allowing it to kind of fester,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said. “I kept telling the guys you’ve got to have a short-term memory in this thing leading up to this game, short-term memory, be loose, having fun, we’re going to make mistakes but have got to move on and learn from it.”
The anticipated matchup between freshman standouts Isaiah Stewart and Zeke Nnaji never materialized. Nnaji had early foul trouble and played just 26 minutes, finishing with nine points and eight rebounds.
Stewart struggled to one of his worst games of the season, finishing with nine points on 3-of-13 shooting. He grabbed 11 rebounds.
Washington trailed by as many as 10 in the first half, but opened the second half on a 14-3 run. The Huskies took a 57-48 lead on McDaniels’ baseline dunk, but he was called for a technical foul after the play, his fifth of the season.
Arizona scored the next seven points after the technical and outscored Washington 27-15 the rest of the way.
“I think it was definitely a big turning point,” Gettings said. “At that point we were just like we knew this was a must-win game for us at the end of the day. We weren’t going to go down without a fight.”