In the final game of his career in Boston, Kobe Bryant scored 15 points and helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112-104 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday (Thursday in Australia).

Jordan Clarkson led the way for the Lakers with 24 points on 10-of-15 field goals while D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle played well off the bench scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Bryant played 33 minutes in his final game against the Celtics, a franchise he has had memorable battles against, specifically in a couple of NBA Finals match-ups in 2008 and 2010.

Bryant shot just 5-of-18 from the field but had 11 rebounds for the night. The Celtics, who were led by Isaiah Thomas’ 24 points and Evan Turner’s 20 points, had the 27-24 lead after the first quarter but their defence fell off in the second quarter where the Lakers outscored them, 34-29, to grab the slim 58-56 lead at halftime.

In the final half of the third quarter, the Lakers outscored the Celtics, 23-13, to gain a double-digit advantage, 89-78 upon entering the final quarter. Boston made a run late and cut down the lead to two points, 104-102, with less than two minutes to go in the game but Bryant made a key three-pointer as the Lakers held on to the lead and to victory.

The Celtics had a four-game winning streak snapped and will try to return to the win column on Saturday when they face the Brooklyn Nets. Meanwhile, the Lakers remain one of the worst teams in the league even after the win and will host the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors in their next three games.

RELATED STORIES