OAKLAND, Calif. – Kobe Bryant is back to being the closer.
Two days after getting benched late in a home loss to Memphis, Bryant made a pair of jumpers in the final 64 seconds, finishing with 30 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the short-handed Golden State Warriors, 104-101 on Tuesday night.
Bryant missed his first two shots in the final period before twice rising over a pair of defenders for difficult fall-away jumpers from the corner. The first tied the game and the second put the Lakers ahead by two — and for good — with 32 seconds remaining.
Former Warriors forward Matt Barnes had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Pau Gasol added 19 points and 17 rebounds to give Los Angeles its third win in four games.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.