Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter of his final game in Washington to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Washington Wizards, 108-104, on Wednesday night.
Julius Randle had 15 points and a career-best 19 rebounds for the Lakers (3-15), who snapped a seven-game losing streak. Jordan Clarkson added 18 points as Los Angeles finished a stretch of four games in five days.
Bryant played 36 minutes in his second game since announcing his plans to retire after this season, his 20th. He left the floor at Verizon Center to thunderous applause from what remained from a crowd of 20,356, Washington’s third sellout of the season.
The night before, Bryant opened the first leg of his farewell tour in his hometown, where the Lakers lost to the previously winless Philadelphia 76ers. Bryant played nearly 32 minutes and scored 20 points on 7-of-26 shooting.
John Wall had 34 points and had 11 assists for Washington, which lost a day after beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road.
Marcin Gortat added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who have dropped four of five despite erasing an early 19-point deficit.
Bryant started 5-for-9 from the floor. Then he missed his next six shots before regaining his rhythm in the fourth quarter, each made shot drawing a louder roar from an even mix of Wizards and Lakers fans.
His 3-pointer over Gortat from the right wing made it 101-99 with just under a minute to play.
Gortat answered with a layup off Wall’s feed, but Bryant’s pull-up jumper over a badly fooled Bradley Beal made it 103-101 with 30.8 seconds remaining.
Wall at one point scored 12 consecutive fourth-quarter points for Washington, but an errant pass was stolen by Lou Williams on the next possession.
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