Kobe Bryant Archives March 2008 Kobe Bryant Archives March 2008   KOBE BRYANT CAN'T STOP JACKSON WHO IS ALL CLUTCH IN THE END March 24, 2008 - Bryant made two 3-pointers in the last 56.4 seconds, drawing the Lakers within one point each time. But Jackson responded on both occasions. "I hated that it came down to that,'' Jackson said. "I think we got a little too complacent with that lead. We should have known Kobe was going to come back and take over and bring his team back. "The biggest thing was in the third quarter we walked the ball up and they ran. And we got the lead by running. But we found a way to win. That shows the growth of this team from last year. It was ugly, but it was still a win.'' Just when it appeared the Los Angeles Lakers were going to successfully rally from a 26-point deficit, the Golden State Warriors turned to Stephen Jackson. Smart move. Jackson scored six of his 31 points on two 3-pointers in the final 38 1/2 seconds, and the Warriors beat the Lakers 115-111 Sunday night. Jackson's first 3-pointer gave the Warriors a 112-108 lead. After Kobe Bryant's 3-pointer with 30.5 seconds left drew the Lakers within one, Jackson connected from the top of the key with 8.1 seconds left to put the game away. "He has made big shots for us all year,'' Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "I don't know how he does it. We put him in a good position where he was open.'' LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. GOLDENT STATE WARRIORS GAME HIGHLIGHTS The win was the second straight for the Warriors over the Lakers after a nine-game losing streak to their in-state rivals. Bryant scored 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, and added a season-high 14 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers (48-22), who had their three-game winning streak snapped and fell percentage points behind the Western Conference-leading New Orleans Hornets. Lamar Odom had 19 points and a career-high 22 rebounds and Ronny Turiaf and Derek Fisher scored 16 each for Los Angeles. - NBA.com   KOBE BRYANT REAMAINS ON TOP IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE March 12, 2008 - Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 34 points in the final 8 1/2 minutes, Lamar Odom added 20 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 117-108 on Tuesday night for their 18th win in 22 games. Next comes a rugged four-game road trip starting Friday night in New Orleans, with games at Houston, Dallas and Utah to follow. The four teams have a cumulative record of 168-86 including 101-26 at home, and if the Rockets win games against Atlanta and Charlotte beforehand, they'll be shooting for their 22nd straight win against the Lakers on Sunday. "It's going to be a tough one,'' Bryant said. "Those teams are great teams. In the East, you have a couple gimme games. In the West, you don't get those.'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson had a message for his players after their latest victory. "I told them basically we aren't going to beat any of those teams if we play like we have played the last two or three games,'' he said. Lakers forward Luke Walton said he's excited about the trip. "It's time to have some fun and play some of the top teams in the NBA,'' he said. "There's going to be hostile environments, every possession is going to be crucial. That's a lot of fun for a player.'' LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. TORONTO RAPTORS GAME HIGHLIGHTS Bryant also had seven rebounds and seven assists for the Pacific Division-leading Lakers (45-19), who lead the San Antonio Spurs by a half-game in the Western Conference race. "We did an OK job defensively,'' Bryant said. "The first half is always an adjustment to get used to these type of teams the way they play. I think in the second half we did a much better job.''