Kobe Drops 13 in USA Exhibition

Lakers forward Kobe Bryant scored an efficient 13 points in 16 minutes in the U.S. National Team’s third exhibition game in Beijing.  Bryant hit six of nine shots from the field, hitting one of three from distance.  The USA defeated Lithuania 120-84, winning each of the four quarters.  Dwyane Wade dropped 19, hitting all three of his threes, and Dwight Howard chipped in 17.  LeBron James has his standard well-rounded game, scoring 15 on seven of nine shooting, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out six assists.  The Lithuanian team featured NBA players Sarunas Jasikevicius and Linas Kleiza.

The fact that Bryant logged just 16 minutes is a bit surprising, but it is only an exhibition game.  Expect to see Kobe get significant minutes once the Olympic Games begin.  While Kobe is certainly one of the best players on the team, James has been the most impressive of the bunch despite injuring his ankle in a practice game in Las Vegas last week.  He rolled his ankle when he landed on Oklahoma City and practice squad forward Kevin Durant’s foot.  But he’s shined in both of the exhibition games he’s partaken in, doing a little bit of everything thanks to his extremely well-rounded skill set.  Team USA looks to be a force, but they haven’t faced any real competition yet.

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Posted in General on August 1, 2008

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