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05/12/2024 08:00:28 pm

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NBA Recap: Cleveland Cavaliers Down Los Angeles Lakers in Kobe Bryant’s Final Face-Off with LeBron James

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(Photo : gettyimages.com) LeBron James finished the night with 24 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in his final face-off against Kobe Bryant, leading the Cavaliers to a 120-108 victory over the Lakers on Thursday evening.

Cleveland Cavaliers handed the Los Angeles Lakers another loss even if it was their final encounter with an NBA great that will leave a lasting legacy to the world of basketball.

The four-time MVP LeBron James finished the night with 24 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in his final face-off against Kobe Bryant, leading the Cavaliers to a 120-108 victory over the Lakers on Thursday evening.

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"I wish I could play against him every single night," James, who went 9 for 18 from the field, said. "Just that competitive juice, that feeling of just going against one of the greatest, you can never take that for granted."

Bryant scored 26 points on an 11 for 16 shooting having 5 rebounds, 2 assists 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. The Black Mamba made sure that his 22nd meeting with James on an NBA hard wood will never be missed even suffering from a constantly sore right shoulder.

"It was just fun," Bryant, who connected 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, said. "I enjoy the physicality of it. Playing against him is fun because of his size. It's always fun to bump with him and to have that physicality, backing him down and driving and bumping. That's fun."

Kyrie Irving dropped 26 points and Channing Frye scored 21 for the Cavaliers, who have improved to 19-12 on road.

Bryant and James were clearly the main attraction of the night. The Lakers all-time leading scorer made back-to-back jumpers in the second quarter, while the Cavaliers all-time scoring leader threw downed a pair of booming dunks to the delights of the crowd.

Bryant dropped seven quick points in the third period, but Cleveland extended their lead with James leading the way ending the quarter with 95-82.

In the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers protected their lead very well and contained the Lakers to just 26 points, while they produced 25.

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