Bobcats Win in 3OT

Despite Kobe Bryant’s amazing 58 points (third highest in his career), the Charlotte Bobcats downed the Lakers in 3OT. Kobe had a good game, but he just couldn’t put everything on the line when it counted, the third overtime.

Kobe Bryant walked slowly into the locker room, sighed and stopped instead of continuing to his locker to meet reporters.

“I don’t want to have to walk all the way over there,” Bryant said.

Bryant was exhausted. His 58 points in 55 minutes were offset by two key errors in the third overtime, and the Charlotte Bobcats outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers 133-124 on Friday night.

“I don’t want to have to do that,” Bryant said of his big scoring night. “It’s too tiring.”

Bryant spoiled the third-highest point total of his career by committing a foul on Derek Anderson’s 3-point attempt with 1:14 left. Anderson hit all three free throws to give Charlotte a 129-124 lead.

Bryant then missed a long jumper and fouled out when Anderson drew a charge on the next possession. Bryant shot 22-of-45 and his performance trailed only his 81-point game last January in Toronto and a 62-point effort last December in Dallas.

“I’ve been guarding him for 10 years,” Anderson said. “I knew he was going to drive and do that.”

Bryant disagreed with both foul calls.

“Silly calls,” Bryant said. “I saw what (New Jersey Nets guard Jason) Kidd said and I don’t want to be $20,000 lighter.”

Emeka Okafor had 22 points and a career-high 25 rebounds, Gerald Wallace scored 28 and Matt Carroll added a career-high 27 points for the Bobcats, who played their first triple-overtime game in franchise history. #