Four Charlotte Bobcats' players eclipsed 20 points and Emeka Okafor netted 22 and pulled down 25 rebounds as the Bobcats topped the Los Angeles Lakers 133-124 in a three-overtime thriller in Charlotte on Friday night.
It was basically a one-man show for the Lakers as Kobe Bryant accounted for nearly half of the Los Angeles offense, tallying 58 points off 22-of-45 shooting. Bryant was also 4-of-11 from three-point range and hit 10 of 12 free throws. However, Bryant may have cost his team the game in the third overtime when he fouled Charlotte's Derek Anderson on a three-point attempt with 1:14 left. Anderson hit all three free throws to give the Bobcats a 129-124 advantage. Bryant then mis-fired on a jumper and was hit with his sixth foul on a charge during his team's next possession.
Despite Bryant's miscues, his 58 points represented the third highest total of his career, trailing only the 81 he scored against Toronto last season and the 62 he racked up against Dallas.
Three other players were in double-figures for the Lakers, as Luke Walton, Smush Parker, and Kwame Brown scored 14, 12, and 11, respectively. Walton also grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out five assists, and had five steals on the night, and Brown hauled in 15 boards while blocking five shots.
The Bobcats received dominant performances from several players. Gerald Wallace led the way with 28 points and eight rebounds. Matt Carroll had 27 and eight, and Raymond Felton scored 22 and dished out 15 assists. Okafor also had four blocks to add to his outstanding performance. The only dull spot for Charlotte's offense was Adam Morrison, who had a miserable night offensively. Morrison shot only 1-of-15 for five points.
The Lakers had a 30-18 after the first quarter, but Charlotte out-scored Los Angeles 42-30 in the second to knot the score up at 60 going into halftime. The teams each scored 45 points in the second half and remained level after four quarters and two overtimes until the Bobcats finally were ahead at the final buzzer of the third overtime.
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