WASHINGTON (AP) – Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter of his final game in Washington to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Wizards 108-104 on Wednesday night.
Julius Randle had 15 points and a career-best 19 rebounds for the Lakers (3-15), who snapped a seven-game losing streak. Jordan Clarkson added 18 points as Los Angeles finished a stretch of four games in five days.
Bryant played 36 minutes in his second game since announcing his plans to retire after this season, his 20th in the NBA. He left the Verizon Center floor to thunderous applause from what remained from a crowd of 20,356, Washington’s third sellout of the season.
The night before, Bryant opened the first leg of his farewell tour in his hometown of Philadelphia, where the Lakers lost to the previously winless 76ers. Bryant played nearly 32 minutes and scored 20 points on 7-of-26 shooting.
John Wall had 34 points and had 11 assists for Washington, which lost a day after beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road.