Kobe Bryant Stars, LeBron James Wins

Kobe Bryant scored 15 points in the first half against LeBron James on Thursday night at Staples Center

On Thursday night, Kobe Bryant played about as well as he has played all season, and he did it against LeBron James. Unfortunately for Bryant and the LA Lakers, that wasn't enough. James and the Cavaliers scorched from beyond the three-point line to build up a lead and eventually walk away with a 120-108 victory.

Bryant, though, played his part to perfection and finished with 26 points, five rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes. Impressively, the 20-year professional made 11 of his 16 field goal attempts despite struggling with a sore right shoulder.

Under the bright lights of a nationally televised game, Bryant went at James and used veteran tricks to fake out his opponent to the elation of the sold out Staples Center. Fans in attendance included Jack Nicholson and John Legend, but the only legend the majority of the arena cared about wore no. 24 in a gold jersey. Bryant would hit his first two shots and finished with three makes before the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the 37-year-old had 15 points and had made seven of his 10 shots.

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However, even with Bryant's superhuman efforts, the Lakers trailed by nine points at the halftime intermission. The culprit for the Lakers' demise on this evening would be three-point shooting. In particular, Channing Frye started off by making his first four three-pointers, which was more three-pointers than the Lakers managed in the first half. By the end of the night, the Cavs had hit twice as many three-pointers as the Lakers.

James, of course, did his part to entertain the crowd and contribute to the Cavs' victory. Along with providing a couple of spectacular highlight dunks, the 31-year-old forward also managed to set up teammates to the tune of seven assists to go along with his 24 points and five rebounds.

Though Thursday's game would be effectively decided well ahead of the final buzzer, fans appreciated Bryant and James staying on the court in the fourth quarter and providing a few more highlights. When Bryant eventually left the court with about two minutes remaining, the fans gave their fading superstar a standing ovation and showered him with chants of "Kobe! Kobe!"

Notes: Kyrie Irving finished tied with Bryant for game-high honors with 26 points. All five of the Cavs' starters scored in double figures. Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell scored 24 points in 33 minutes. The Lakers dropped to 14-52. The Cavaliers improved to 46-18.

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