Late in the third quarter of Thursday's game against the Nuggets, things looked rather bleak for the Lakers — and on the day the franchise unveiled Kobe Bryant's first statue, no less.
For Kobe. For the die-hard Laker fans. For our family.
Mamba forever. pic.twitter.com/uExf0oEWgY
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 9, 2024
Unfortunately for the Los Angeles and Kobe faithful, that made sense. The Lakers were slight underdogs to Denver at +3, with some shops as high as Lakers +3.5. And despite any potential emotional lift on the day, things looked like they might be even worse than the spread implied, as Los Angeles trailed by 11 with 2:37 left in the third quarter.
The Lakers ended that frame on a run to pull within four, and the fourth quarter remained competitive throughout, with Los Angeles twice pulling even with the Nuggets. Yet ultimately, Nikola Jokic & Co. pulled away for a 114-106 victory, spoiling the celebration of Kobe and leaving any Lakers bettors empty handed, despite 32 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks from Anthony Davis.
The Nuggets were paced by Jamal Murray's 29 points, 7 boards and 11 steals paired with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists from Jokic, who entered Thursday night's games as the odds-on favorite to win the 2023-24 NBA MVP Award at -145 at FanDuel. Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is behind Jokic at +270, with Giannis Antetokounmpo +550; every other player is +1500 (Luka Doncic) or longer.
As for Kobe and the Lakers, Bryant's widow, Vanessa, announced on Thursday that Kobe would receive three statues outside of the team's arena, including one that will feature their late daughter, Gianna.
Make sure to watch Vanessa's full presentation of the first Kobe Bryant statue below.
FULL SPEECH: Vanessa Bryant unveils Kobe’s statue pic.twitter.com/7q6zb9ok3H
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 9, 2024
