Kobe Bryant was taking some heat for excessive minutes played and a ridiculous amount of shots taken. He took off a couple games and came back to show everyone that he’s still the Black Mamba.
On Tuesday night the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 111-103. Kobe Bryant notched a triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. And no he didn’t take a crazy amount of shots and no he did not have a terrible shot percentage. Bryant was 6-11 from the field including 3-5 from three-point range and 8-11 from the free throw line. He also added 2 steals and 1 block to his stat sheet (I’ll ignore the 9 turnovers just this time).
At 36-years old, it was Bryant’s 21st triple-double and he is just the third player in NBA history to have multiple triple-doubles at age 36 or older according to SportsCenter.
Bryant is the second-oldest among active players to record a triple-double, trailing only Tim Duncan, who was 38 years old when he had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Memphis on Dec. 5, according to STATS.
You see now — very, very efficient,” said Bryant. “I know exactly where I want to go. I get to my spots. I don’t try to beat guys with quickness. I back them down, get to my areas and elevate over them. Old school Oscar Robertson-style.”
