Los Angeles: LeBron James spoiled Kobe Bryant’s Cleveland finale on Wednesday as the Cavaliers cruised past the Los Angeles Lakers in a victory overshadowed by an injury to Kevin Love.
Kyrie Irving scored 35 points and James added 29 as the Cavs romped home 120-111 against the Lakers as the Cleveland fans bade a fond farewell to the retiring Bryant.
Bryant finished with 17 points and six rebounds while shooting just five of 16.
However, the Cavaliers victory was marred by an alarming injury to Love, who left the game in the final minute of the second quarter after a tangle with Bryant.
Love yelled out in pain after Bryant’s arm appeared to catch his shoulder. It was the same left shoulder, which saw Love sidelined for six months after surgery last year.
A Cavaliers source said Wednesday’s injury did not appear to be as serious as the previous shoulder problem and that Love had left the match out of an abundance of caution.
Bryant, meanwhile, shared an embrace with James as he left the court for the final time with one minute left on the court as the Cavaliers support rose in a standing ovation.
Bryant and James have always had a mutual respect. Lakers legend Bryant revealed before Wednesday’s match that the two players were closer than many fans realised.
“We’ve been close. We talk on the phone probably more than people know,” Bryant said. “We talk about the game, we talk about different strategies that centre around the game. We talk about different things off the court. Business related, players association related. We speak, there is much more communication than people want to [believe].”
Bryant and James will face one more encounter when the Cavaliers face the Lakers at the Staples Centre next month.
Between them both players have combined to play in the last nine NBA finals, although oddly they have never faced each other in competition for basketball’s biggest prize.
There is no chance of that changing in Bryant’s farewell season, with the Lakers having the worst record in the Western Conference, a miserable 11-44 for the season. Only the Philadelphia 76ers (8-45) have a worse record. The Cavaliers improved to 38-14 with Wednesday’s win.
Results
Wednesday’s games
Charlotte 117 Indiana 95
Sacramento 114 Philadelphia 110
San Antonio 98 Orlando 96
Memphis 109 Brooklyn 90
Boston 139 L.A. Clippers 134
Denver 103 Detroit 92
Atlanta 113 Chicago 90
Minnesota 117 Toronto 112
New Orleans 100 Utah 96
Cleveland 120 LA Lakers 111
Golden State 112 Phoenix 104
Portland 116 Houston 103
