Kobe Bryant missed another potential game-winner on December 19, spurring an interesting comment from teammate Jeremy Lin.
Lin said in a report by Pro Basketball Talk, "I like game-winners too."
Lin shot 5-of-7 from the field during Friday night's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the OKC Thunder. He also shot 3-for-5 in the fourth quarter as compared to Kobe's 1-for-5. He shared that he wanted to be given the ball more and to take clutch shots from time to time.
Lin said, "How many game-winners has he hit like that? I'm obviously rooting for him to hit that shot. I thought it was a good look. It was a very, very hittable shot. That's just a matter of time before he starts hitting those game-winners."
The point guard added, "I would love to shoot some. But I get it. That guy is kind of the king of game-winners. He's going to hit that shot. He'll figure it out. That's why he is who he is."
The Lakers were trailing 103-104 with 6.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The team had possession and it was already set as usual that Bryant would take the final shot. In the same report by Pro Basketball Talk, however, it was noted that his legs were giving up on him and he appeared fatigued, shooting only 3-for-14 from the field.
Bryant got the inbounds pass and drove left of Andre Roberson. He pump-faked then shot from 17 feet but the ball was short. The Lakers lost the game, going 8-18 in the season.
Coach Byron Scott was questioned as to why he still chose Bryant to attempt the buzzer beater despite his poor shooting. Scott replied, "32,000-plus points."
Baxter Holmes of ESPN wrote on Twitter, "Kobe has missed missed 12 straight potential tying/go-ahead shots in the last .05 of 4Q/OT, tying his longest such streak."
Bryant talked about his legs in a report by Business2Community.com saying, "Some games they're there, some games they're not. It's a balancing act, right? Just trying to figure out when to do it, when not to do it. I'm just trying to figure out proper rest and all that other stuff. I'm just trying to get a good system, trying to start getting some consistency in these legs."
Kobe currently plays about 35 minutes per game, causing many to question whether he might be burning himself out for most of the game and compromising potential game-winners that he used to make during his peak years.