With or without Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers were not expected to win on Tuesday night. But they did, and they did it without their enigmatic superstar.
Entering Staples Center, the Golden State Warriors had won 23 of the 26 games they had played. With Bryant scratched before tip-off due to mounting fatigue, the Lakers' odds of beating the best team in the NBA dropped further.
For the struggling purple and gold, the stars aligned on Tuesday night. More accurately, the star stayed at home, and the season of giving took new meaning. Starting point guard Ronnie Price led a balanced attack with a passing display that carved the Warriors and spread the basketball.
At the half, the Lakers led by 15 points, and no one Laker had attempted even 10 shots. The Lakers were moving the ball, and the passing was contagious. Price had seven assists at that point, but six other Lakers also had at least one assist.
Asked whether the Lakers could play this same way with Bryant on the floor, Lakers coach Byron Scott said without hesitation, "I think so."
Scott didn't mince words when asked what he would say to anyone who thinks the Lakers are better without Bryant on the court: "I would say, 'people are crazy.'"
"What are you asking me? Are we better without Kobe? Is that what you're trying to asking me?" Scott confronted a reporter who was asking the question in a roundabout way. "To the people that think that: 'no, there's no way.'"
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In the second half, the Lakers continued to share the ball and attack inside. Adding to his team-high field goal percentage, forward Ed Davis did not miss a single shot. Along with Carlos Boozer, Davis helped the Lakers to 52 points in the paint. Boozer led all scorers with 18 points, and the veteran big man added a game-high nine rebounds to the pile.
The final score read 115-105, but the game was not even that close. The Lakers led by as many as 24 points, and the game hovered in the 20-point range for the majority of the second half.
FINAL: Lakers win 115-105 but it wasn't that close https://t.co/kFKwemq8cU #GOLakers — Triple Threat (@LA_TripleThreat) December 24, 2014
The Lakers' balance was evident in several categories, as the Lakers finished with seven players scoring in double figures and nine of the 10 players that took the court for the home team had at least one assist. The ball was shared, and the victory was shared, too. Even Nick Young registered an assist.
"It's better to enjoy with your teammates," Price said after the game. "To have everyone in on it and enjoying the moment, that's why we all play basketball."
That kind of night. #WOW RT @shahanLA: Vlade Divac just hit the half court shot at Staples. #lakers https://t.co/5mG6uWjnx1 — Triple Threat (@LA_TripleThreat) December 24, 2014
Notes: Former Lakers player Vlade Divac attempted the half-court shot at the end of the third quarter, and made the bucket. He will split the $90,000 prize with two charities: the Divac Children's Foundation and the Lakers Youth Foundation.
