CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- This was more like the Kobe Bryant the Los Angeles Lakers are accustomed to seeing. Bryant, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and still learning to trust his legs, was back to making big shots down the stretch and helping his team win Saturday night -- although in a somewhat tentative manner. "I dont know what I can and cant do," Bryant said. "Im just trying to measure it. I didnt know if I could drive to the basket. Every game has been like that." Bryant took a big step in the right direction, scoring a season-high 21 points to help the Lakers defeat the Charlotte Bobcats 88-85 for their first win since Bryant returned four games ago. Bryant was 8 of 15 from the field and hit two free throws with 37 seconds left in the game to put the Lakers ahead for good. Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill had 15 points apiece for the Lakers and Nick Young had 13 points off the bench. Kemba Walker had 24 points and eight assists for the slumping Bobcats, who have lost three straight and five of their last seven. "I knew it was coming eventually, its not a big deal," Bryant said of getting his first win of the season. "We know its a marathon not a sprint. We have to do the right things game in, game out. Some games youre going to lose." Bryant averaged 11 points in his first three games. He eclipsed that by halftime. Bryant showed his touch when he banked in a 15-footer over Gerald Henderson and his range when he stepped out to knock down a 3-pointer from 26 feet. But there were some struggles as well. Bryant committed seven turnovers and air-balled a 3-pointer. But he did enough to help the Lakers win. "I think he improved a little bit," Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said. "I think he got his legs under his shot a little bit and that looked better. He got tired. He got tired toward the end and it was his first back-to-back. Theres a lot of things that he has to work through. "We have to somehow find some wins and gut it out. Its not pretty right now. We dont have a playmaker and weve got to get guys healthy and get Kobe well." The Lakers trailed most of the game, but cut the lead to 85-84 when Bryant drove the lane and scored a left-handed layup with 1:22 remaining. Al Jefferson and Walker would both miss on the other end and Bryant went to work looking to take the lead. He drew a foul on a jump shot with 37 seconds left and hit both free throws with some of the crowd chanting "M-V-P" while others booed. Henderson missed a jumper for Charlotte, but Jefferson corralled the rebound and the Bobcats took a timeout to set up the last shot. Jefferson backed down Pau Gasol but couldnt convert a baby hook and the Gasol grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Gasol hit both free throws to push the lead to three with 6.2 seconds left. Ben Gordons 3-pointer fell short as time expired. "It was one of those games that came down to the last play at the end, but we have to try to do a better job of taking care of some of the minor mistakes we made earlier in the game so it doesnt come down to the last second," Gordon said. The Bobcats (10-14) came into the week looking to improve their spot in the playoff picture in the East, but dropped all three games. Coach Steve Clifford, who worked as an assistant last year with the Lakers, said having a player like Bryant to go to in the fourth quarter -- even if not completely healthy -- is just a huge advantage. "When it comes down fourth quarter in this league if you have a perimeter player who can draw help and a second defender, its a huge advantage," Clifford said. "Were going to have to be really good at getting the ball to Al in spots. Again, its not easy. The easier thing is to have Kobe. "You can just him the ball and he just makes plays. But thats all right, that is the way our team is made and we have to learn how to do that. But it is more difficult? Its infinitely more difficult, yes it is." The highlight of the game came in the third quarter when Josh McRoberts cut down the lane, took a pass from Walker and skied over Pau Gasol for a one-handed slam dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. NOTES: Welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. was courtside. ... Henderson has scored in double figures in 22 games this season, including 15 straight. ... The Lakers have won five straight against the Bobcats. Dennis Byrd Jets Jersey . "I surprise myself on some of these shots I make," Utahs reserve guard said. The Jazz breathed a collective sigh of relief when Burks put together a string of circus shots after the rest of the team had gone cold. Darrelle Revis Womens Jersey . Bach spoke at a ceremony in the athletes village to urge compliance with the "Olympic Truce," a symbolic resolution urging warring parties to cease hostilities during the games. "We remember and grieve for the innocent victims of conflict, and especially the recent victims in Volgograd," Bach said. http://www.footballjetsgears.com/authentic-leonard-williams-jets-jersey/ .J. Brodie capitalized on the Los Angeles Kings final mistake. Brodie scored the tiebreaking power-play goal with 29. Devin Smith Womens Jersey . In the end, Ervin Santanas desire to pitch in the National League and his willingness to play the waiting game won the day when he signed a one-year deal with the Braves worth a reported $14. Muhammad Wilkerson Youth Jersey . Kenneth Faried, Randy Foye and J.J. Hickson added 16 points apiece for the Nuggets, who have won all three meetings this season against Dallas. Hickson scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter to help hold off the Mavericks, who play the Nuggets a final time this season in two weeks in Dallas.BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Kenny Perry didnt have a double hit, miss many easy putts or do anything spectacularly good or bad. Perrys steady play at Shoal Creek was enough for his third Champions Tour major in the past year, a one-stroke victory over Mark Calcavecchia on Sunday in the Regions Tradition. Perry closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 7-under 281, while other contenders had up-and-down days and John Cook lost a share of the lead with a double hit. "I was leaderboard watching and nobody was really running, so I knew par was a good score," Perry said. "I was just trying to stay away from the bogeys. I bogeyed the first hole right out of the gate and then I birdied the third to get it back and then just kind of hung in there. "I plodded along, hit lots of fairways, lots of greens and just stayed patient." Perry got his sixth victory and became the second player to win in three consecutive Champions Tour major starts, joining Gary Player, who did it in 1987-88. Perry won the Senior Players Championship and U.S. Senior Open in consecutive tour starts last year, then skipped the Senior British Open. Jack Nicklaus is the only other player to win all three of those events. It was the highest score for a Tradition winner. Perry missed a short putt to make bogey on No. 15 but retook the lead with a 20-footer for birdie on the next hole and lined up an easy par putt with a nice drive on the closing hole. "It told me that I could hit the shots under extreme pressure, and great shots," he said. "I killed a drive on 18 and I hit the prettiest 9-iron. It came in on the flag and spun to the left when you needed to do it. "A lot of times you think, All Ive got to do is make par to win the tournament and youll make a five quicker than you can blink an eye." Calcavecchia finished with a 70. Two-time winner Tom Lehman closed with a 67 to tie Jay Haas at 5 under. Haas closed with a 71. Cooks closing 72 put him three strokes back. Fred Couples was disqualified Sunday after missing his tee time. He was 9 over after a 73 Saturday, his best round.dddddddddddd Couples also withdrew from the Senior PGA next week at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Cooks double bogey on No. 14 cost him a share of the lead. Cooks ball was buried deep in the right bunker just under the lip, and appeared to ricochet backward before winding up a couple of feet out of the sand. Tour officials reviewed the bunker shot using phone video shot by an event staffer and determined that Cook hit it again on his back swing. "Golf Channel didnt have a great view of it but there was someone with the event who was shooting social media video of it that had a face-on angle, and it was clear that he double hit it," said Brian Claar, the Champions Tours vice-president for competition. Cook declined a chance to review it himself and said he hadnt been sure what happened. "That was bizarre," he said. "I told Todd, my caddie, You better move that bag because if this ball hits the lip it could go anywhere. And thats what I thought it did. I didnt hear anything. All I felt was my club hitting the lip of the bunker and then the sand catching the club. "Evidently in all that, it hit my club head. Im good with that. If it shows on TV, I can honestly say I didnt feel anything but I dont want to take something that wasnt there." Cook returned a couple of weeks ago after a 10-week layoff because of a fractured rib in his back. "If someone would have said that Id have a one-shot lead with five to play this week, Id have said, Youre nuts," he said. Calcavecchia had another near-miss at Shoal Creek. He had bogeys on Nos. 9 and 13 after missing short putts, and said he missed five during the week of 3 feet or less. "Ive never won a tournament doing that and I dont think anybody has," Calcavecchia said He led after 36 and 54 holes at Shoal Creek in 2011 before a final-round 75 cost him a lead that had ballooned as high as six strokes. Calcavecchia was plagued by nagging rib problems that pained him after swings. "I was hurting all day," he said, adding that he wasnt sure if hed play in the Senior PGA. wholesale jerseys wholesale nfl jerseys china jerseys from china nfl jerseys cheap authentic cheap jerseys ' ' '
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