Los Angeles Lakers 101-96 Utah Jazz
Kobe Bryant goes out with a bang in the most Kobe way possible. Bryant leads the Los Angeles Lakers to a win dropping 60 points while making 22 of his 50 shots. Yes, he took 50 shots.
For all the Kobe Bryant haters out there, his last recorded stat was an assist. Along with the 60, Bryant grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists while playing a season-high 42 minutes.
Earlier in the night, Houston Rockets had sealed the eighth and final Playoff spot in the Western Conference, giving the Utah Jazz nothing to play for in this game. They put out a second string team against the Lakers, who followed the strategy of “Give Kobe the ball” on almost every possession and rightfully so.
Bryant signed off with 60 points but here’s how he ends up on the NBA’s all time scoring list:
Prior to tip-off, Lakers great Magic Johnson under the spotlight at center court gave his heart out to Bryant’s great career. After which the Lakers played out a video of all the great NBA players (current and past) giving the thanks to Bryant and paying a tribute to his great career.
The video had the Kobe’s former teammates in Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher. It had current NBA greats in Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
Kobe Bryant fans, get ready to tear up a little:
Golden State Warriors 125-104 Memphis Grizzlies
Move aside 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors are now the winningest team in NBA history. The Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by 21 points but the game was pretty much over at halftime as the reigning NBA champions headed to the locker room with a 20 point lead.
Stephen Curry led the way with 46 points on 15 of 24 shooting, getting to an NBA record 400 three-pointers made for the season, no other player has made 300.
Curry also joined an elite list of players (Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash) to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from three point range and 90% from the free throw line. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out six assists in just 29 minutes on the floor.
Golden State wraps the season with an NBA record regular season 73-9. They did break the biggest record of them all with 73 wins but there were a few more things that this great team achieved that got less attention.
The Warriors never lost to any team twice, something the Bulls couldn’t avoid in their historic season. The champs did not lose two games in a row, no team in NBA history has done that. Golden State also won 34 road games, an NBA record and one more than the Bulls registered in their season.
Houston Rockets 116-81 Sacramento Kings
James Harden (HOU): 38 pts, 4 rebs, 4 asts
Patrick Beverley (HOU): 9 pts, 12 asts, 6 stls, 4 rebs
Portland Trailblazers 107-99 Denver Nuggets
Damian Lillard (POR): 21 pts, 5 asts, 3 rebs, 2 stls
Nikola Jokic (DEN): 18 pts, 13 rebs, 5 asts
Phoenix Suns 114-105 Los Angeles Clippers
Mirza Teletovic (PHO): 22 pts, 9 rebs
Jon Leuer (PHO): 16 pts, 14 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls
Indiana Pacers 97-92 Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL): 19 pts, 9 rebs, 5 asts
Solomon Hill (IND): 25 pts, 6 rebs, 4 stls, 3 asts
San Antonio Spurs 96-91 Dallas Mavericks
Kyle Anderson (SAS): 15 pts, 10 rebs, 5 stls, 4 asts
Boban Marjanovic (SAS): 22 pts, 12 rebs, 2 blks
Detroit Pistons 112-110 Cleveland Cavaliers (OT)
Jordan McRae (CLE): 36 pts, 7 asts, 4 rebs
Reggie Bullock (DET): 15 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts
Washington Wizards 109-98 Atlanta Hawks
Nene Hilario (WAS): 19 pts, 8 rebs, 8 asts, 3 stls
Paul Millsap (ATL): 13 pts, 11 rebs, 3 blks, 2 stls
Toronto Raptors 103-96 Brooklyn Nets
Norman Powell (TOR): 30 pts, 9 rebs, 5 asts
Donald Sloan (BKN): 11 pts, 10 asts, 3 rebs
Minnesota Timberwolves 144-109 New Orleans Pelicans
Karl Anthony Towns (MIN): 28 pts, 14 rebs, 3 asts, 2 blks
Omer Asik (NOP): 24 pts, 11 rebs, 10-13 FG’s
Charlotte Hornets 117-103 Orlando Magic
Al Jefferson (CHA): 26 pts, 4 rebs, 2 asts
Evan Fournier (ORL): 22 pts, 3 asts, 2 rebs, 2 stls
Chicago Bulls 115-105 Philadelphia 76ers
Jimmy Butler (CHI): 10 pts, 12 rebs, 10 asts
Nikola Mirotic (CHI): 32 pts, 7 rebs, 5 stls, 4 asts, 3 blks
