The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, but that hardly mattered after Kobe Bryant dropped the massive news that 2015-16 would be his final season in the NBA.
With Byron Scott's pregame press conference turning into a recap of how he learned the news and his favorite memories of the 37-year-old over two decades in the NBA, Sunday's game hardly mattered. Following Scott's press conference, the Lakers managed to make general manager Mitch Kupchak available to answer questions before tip-off.
In the first quarter, Bryant shot the ball more than twice as often as any other Lakers' player. He made one of eight shots in nearly 10 minutes of first quarter play. As a team, the Lakers shot 10 percent from the field and trailed by 16 points after the first quarter.
The Lakers would improve in the second quarter, but the home team still trailed by 13 points at the intermission. Bryant's shooting woes continued, as no. 24 missed 13 of his 15 shot attempts in the first half.
The third quarter played out relatively evenly with the Lakers scoring 30 points and shooting 47.8 percent from the field. Bryant did not shoot in the third period, and the Lakers still trailed by 15 points entering the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers' second unit combined with Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle to erase the deficit and cut the game to four points with about four minutes to play. Bryant would return to close out the game, and the Lakers managed to cut the lead to two points with 22.1 seconds remaining after Metta World Peace hit a three-pointer.
Paul George of the Pacers would make four clutch free throws down the stretch to keep the Lakers four points down. Then, Bryant stepped up and hit an incredible shot that brought the Lakers within one point with 12 seconds to play.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
George would shoot two more free throws to put the Lakers down three points. Bryant got another shot to tie the game, and this time, reality set in. He shot up an air-ball, and the Lakers lost 107-103.
The Lakers lost and fell to 2-14 on the season.
Notes: Clarkson finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Nick Young finished with 22 points off the bench. George finished with a game-high 39 points.
