With Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in town Monday night, Kemba Walker stole the show, raining in a game-high 38 points in the Charlotte Hornets’ 108-98 win.
Walker had 18 of his 38 in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets have won two in a row.
Per the AP:
“I just wanted to win. It was great to play against Kobe one last time in this arena, but it was also great to beat him,” Walker said. “I didn’t want to be on the other end of him getting that W.”
Bryant, who received a taped message from Jordan before the game, finished with 20 points on 5-of-20 shooting. […] Jordan didn’t attend the game, but congratulated Bryant on an “unbelievable career” during a message that was played on the arena’s scoreboard before tip-off. Jordan went on to cite Bryant’s “competitive drive” the first time the two played against each other in 1996 and called it “invigorating.”
The Hornets drafted Bryant out of high school with the 13th overall pick in 1996, but traded him to the Lakers in a deal that brought Vlade Divac to Charlotte. […] “It was awesome,” Bryant said of Jordan’s message. “We talk pretty often. But it was interesting to see my teammates before the game. Julius Randle was like, ‘That’s amazing. That’s Michael Jordan.'”
