Breaking! Kobe Bryant Still Good at Basketball

The Lakers guard posterizes Josh Smith, then hits game-winner for good measure.

The Lakers guard posterizes Josh Smith, then hits game-winner for good measure.

Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty

Given that he’s been in the NBA for what feels like decades, it’s easy to forget that Kobe Bryant is still only 34-years-old. Weird, right? While 34 isn’t exactly young, especially for an NBA player, it’s not ancient. So maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised when Bryant shows flashes of his younger self, like he did last night in embarrassing Josh Smith with a dunk that would have done a player half his age proud. If that wasn’t enough, Bryant followed up with a game-winning layup two minutes later, bringing the Lakers to .500 for the first time in months. 

All told, Bryant scored 34 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers’ final six. “I just had to attack,” Bryant said. “I wanted to attack and just go right at them. Take the game to them. Be aggressive. Be physical. And it worked out.”

This has been a nightmare year for the Lakers, but they seem to finally be getting their shit together. And if Kobe keeps playing like he did yesterday, no one’s going to want to meet them in the playoffs….assuming they get there.

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