Kobe Bryant may be four days away from retirement, but on Sunday he looked nothing like a player on his way to the proverbial rocking chair.
The 37-year old dropped 35 points — the second-most of his final season — in only 27 minutes, though the Lakers fell in Houston, 130-110, due to 40 points from James Harden.
“I’m eternally optimistic,” Bryant said. “The jump shot was falling, the legs felt good. Then you have nights like this.”
In the third-to-last game, Bryant got straight to work, scoring 15 points in the first quarter alone to bring the Lakers within two points of their hosts.