NEW YORK – Jamal Murray sparked the Denver Nuggets in the final minutes to a 114-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb 8, after the Lakers unveiled a statue in tribute to the late National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Kobe Bryant.
Murray had 29 points and a game-high 11 assists with seven rebounds, while Nikola Jokic contributed 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists and Michael Porter Jr added 27 points to lead the Nuggets, who share the Western Conference lead with the Minnesota Timberwolves at 36-16.
The Lakers erased a 15-point deficit down the stretch, but the defending champions closed with a 10-2 run for their seventh successive triumph against the Lakers.
“They fought the whole way and it took us staying disciplined for 48 minutes,” Murray said. “It was a good team win.”
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion and 18-time NBA All-Star, played for the Lakers from 1996 till 2016 before he died in a 2020 helicopter crash.
The 5.79m bronze statue, weighing 1,800kg, shows superstar guard Bryant in his No. 8 Lakers jersey with his right index finger raised in the air.
On the pose, Bryant’s widow Vanessa said: “For the record, Kobe picked the pose you’re about to see, so if anyone has any issues with it, tough s**t.”
For Rob Pelinka, the vice-president of basketball operations and general manager of the Lakers and Bryant’s long-time friend, it had a different meaning.
“Today I was just kind of struck with him pointing up to the heavens and just knowing that he and Gigi are in a good place,” he said in reference to Bryant’s daughter Gianna, who also died in the crash. “The pose took on some different meaning there for me.”
The monument stands outside the Lakers home arena, where Bryant delivered many of his greatest performances.
“This statue may look like Kobe, but really, it’s what excellence looks like,” said Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, praising Bryant’s “timeless” greatness.
The Lakers, whose three-game winning streak was snapped, wore “Black Mamba” jerseys in tribute to Bryant but could not complete a fightback.
Denver never trailed, leading by as many as 15 points, but the Lakers tied the game at 104-104 on an Austin Reaves three-pointer.
Murray answered with a three, a rebound and a jumper and Porter added a trey to ignite a 10-0 Denver run that sealed matters.
“I missed my last two on some good looks, so they just told me knock the next one down with confidence,” Murray said. “That’s what got us sparked.”
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 32 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while LeBron James added 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
In Indiana, Stephen Curry scored 42 points, hitting 11 of 16 three-point shots and 15 of 22 overall, to spark the Golden State Warriors over the Pacers 131-109.
It marked Curry’s 13th career game with 11 or more three-point baskets, an NBA record, after he started the contest with seven of seven from beyond the arc for the first time in his career.
“We felt we could get off to a hot start like that, give us some energy,” Curry said. “Total team effort from there.”
Golden State are 24-25 after a third straight victory.
In Milwaukee, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and passed off nine assists to ignite the Timberwolves to a 129-105 victory against the Bucks to share the West lead with Denver.
Over in New York, Dallas guard Luka Doncic scored 39 points, passed off 11 assists, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to spark the visiting Mavericks over the short-handed Knicks 122-108.
“We played great,” Slovenian star Doncic said. “We had to stay aggressive the whole game and keep playing our defence.”
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant had 31 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocked shots, while Bradley Beal added 30 points and seven assists to lead the Phoenix Suns over the visiting Utah Jazz 129-115.
The Suns, missing All-Star guard Devin Booker due to a sore left hip, improved to 31-21, fifth in the West. AFP
