Lin Tian can naturally understand this. After all, the Jazz's defense didn't let up at all today.

It's not realistic for Kobe to play every round by himself.

Lin Tian, ​​who didn't take much action throughout the first quarter or even the first half of the second quarter, began to take over the game.

Although he had been blocking positions and grabbing rebounds in the past, he is now full of energy because he did not exert much force on the offensive end.

On the other hand, the Jazz are still accustomed to focusing on defending Kobe, and Lin Tian scored several goals in a row.

When the Jazz reacted and started to double-team Lin Tian, ​​Lin Tian started passing the ball to Kobe again, leaving the Jazz unable to defend.

After halftime, the Lakers led by an astonishing 14 points!

Throughout the first half, Kobe made 13 of 26 shots and scored 32 points!

The large number of shots made him panting when he walked to the tunnel, but Kobe's face was filled with a satisfied smile.

He and the spectators on both sides of the tunnel roared excitedly.

Lin Tian's statistics in the first half were more versatile and powerful. He scored 11 points, 8 baskets, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

As the absolute core of the Lakers' offense, Lin Tian only scored ten points in the first half, which is very rare.

But the whole team knows that if he wants to score, no one can stop him.

Back in the locker room, Kobe immediately took off his No. 24 purple and gold jersey that was soaked through.

He folded the jersey he had taken off and twisted it. Sweat poured down his face. Kobe said, "Damn it! I have to change my jersey in the second half."

Players usually don't need to change their jerseys during a game, but today Coe sweated too much.

Lin Tian didn't sweat that much, and he also changed into a clean and refreshing jersey.

After Kobe finished changing his jersey, he glanced at his teammates in the locker room: "You guys! Do you want me to tire myself to death today?"

"Kobe! Just let go today! This is what our whole team wants to see." PJ Tucker had already changed into a pair of sneakers.

"Yeah! The Jazz couldn't even grab a rebound in the first half! You just need to be confident and bold in your shots! Lin and I are in the paint!" Howard also patted his chest.

Their words moved Kobe: "It seems I'm expected to score 50 points today, haha!"

At this time, Nance Jr., who was looking down at his phone, suddenly exclaimed: "Hey! Guys! The Mavericks lost! We are guaranteed to enter the playoffs!"

"Really? If the Mavericks lose! That would be awesome!"

"Haha! We are a playoff team now!"

After a while, Buss and Kupchak also came in and announced their spot in the playoffs.

Such news is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the Lakers.

At least they won't have any pressure against the Jazz in the second half.

The initiative was completely in the hands of the Lakers. Scott even made a calculation: "I did the math. If we beat the Jazz today, we will enter the playoffs with the sixth place in the Western Conference.

Then the opponent we face will be the Thunder, which is ranked third."

"If we lose, we will be seventh and our opponent in the playoffs will be the second-ranked Spurs."

Whether they want to play the Spurs or the Thunder in the playoffs is in the hands of the Lakers.

In the NBA, it may be difficult to win a game, but it is too easy to lose a game, as long as you put a little effort into it.

In addition to Scott, several Lakers assistant coaches also had a quick discussion in the locker room.

I'm afraid not many viewers imagined that in the Lakers locker room, the discussion at this time was not about the tactics of the second half, but whether to win today's game.

In the end, several assistant coaches came to a unanimous conclusion: It is best to win this game today! Let their ranking be stable at sixth in the Western Conference and go to the Thunder in the playoffs.

The assistant coaches believe that although the Spurs' lineup is getting old, their heritage is still there, and their regular season record is terrible.

The most important thing is that the Spurs have Popovich, who is more difficult to deal with than the Thunder.

Although the Thunder are also very strong this season, the Lakers defeated the Thunder twice in a row during the regular season.

And this season against the Spurs, they were beaten badly.

They were arguing lively, but Kobe's face was gloomy: "If you don't want to meet them in the playoffs, the best way is not to play in the playoffs!"

Kobe was a little angry. What he usually disliked the most was calculating these meaningless things.

Lin Tian also strongly agreed with Kobe's words: "Whether it's the Thunder or the Spurs, we have no reason to be afraid!"

I was happy to play in the first half, but now my mood is ruined.

Several assistant coaches and Scott were also a little embarrassed. Finally, it was Buss Jr. who stood up: "Kobe is right! Basketball should be more pure! Come on in the second half, everyone!"

As for whether little Bass thinks so in his heart, no one knows.

After all, the last time Kobe Bryant participated in the playoffs, the tickets for each game at Staples Center were worth at least tens of millions of dollars.

When the halftime break was about to end, the Lakers players walked back to the arena from the tunnel.

Almost all the fans at Staples Center stood up to applaud and cheer.

Obviously, they also know that the Lakers have locked in a playoff spot in advance.

The second half started quickly. Perhaps his mood was affected by what happened in the locker room, but Kobe played very actively.

Lin Tian still plays the fourth position as usual, mainly responsible for blocking, defense and rebounding.

He rarely even set up pick-and-rolls for Kobe, just to protect rebounds.

In terms of rebounding data in the first half, the Lakers crushed the Jazz.

With the cooperation of Lin Tian and Howard, the Jazz are no match for them.

Kobe continued to throw his three-pointers and long two-pointers, but there were almost no breakthroughs.

The main reason is that his speed can no longer get rid of Hood who is guarding him, and with the leader and Howard inside, it is very crowded and there is no need to break out.

Kobe's touch was a little worse in the second half than in the first half, but the Lakers did a great job protecting the rebounds!

After Lin Tian grabbed rebounds many times, even if he was very sure to complete the second attack, he would pass the ball back to Kobe.

The Jazz's two inside men were no match for Lin Tian and the Lakers. Watching the rebounds continue to be lost, Schneider scratched his head anxiously on the sidelines, but there was nothing he could do.

After the third quarter, Kobe's personal score has reached 50 points. The key is that they are still ten points ahead of the Jazz.

The Lakers’ home DJ’s voice was hoarse!

After all, the last time Kobe Bryant scored such a high score in a single game was several years ago!

The fans who came to the audience became more and more excited as they watched!

They didn't expect that Kobe would be so crazy today!

Penguin Sports Live Room.

As Kobe Bryant scored over 50 points in a single game today, the popularity of the live broadcast also exceeded 50 million.

"Holy shit! It's 50 points! Kobe Bryant's personal score is expected to exceed 60 points today!"

"It's unimaginable! With such an injury, you can still score 50 points!"

"Kobe is really back to his peak today! Although he takes up a lot of the team's shots, his scoring efficiency is pretty good!"

"It's really worth missing work today to watch the game! And the Lakers have entered the playoffs, which is so exciting!"

"The Jazz just didn't defend Kobe seriously. How could Kobe score so many points if they really defended him!"

"Those who say the Jazz don't defend seriously, are you serious? This game is related to whether the Jazz can enter the playoffs!"

…

Staples Center Arena.

After the start of the final quarter, the Jazz's defensive intensity and offensive efficiency improved.

Because this game is not only related to the Lakers' final ranking, but also the Jazz's opportunity to hit the playoffs!

If they win, they will be in eighth place in the Western Conference and enter the playoffs.

If they lose the game, they will be ranked ninth in the Western Conference and completely miss the playoffs.

This also shows that the Jazz have no reason to let go!

Their star player Gordon Hayward stepped up.

Hayward, who was exerting his strength, actually made it difficult for Tucker to defend. He continuously made key shots against Tucker.

Seeing this, Lin Tian directly switched defenses with Tucker, letting him block Hayward's point, and the effect was very significant.

Hayward is one level behind Lin Tian in terms of height, confrontation and speed.

After he was beaten to death at this point, the Jazz's offensive tasks were mainly handed over to Hood.

Hood also seized the opportunity and showed no mercy in the face of Kobe's defense.

Today, Kobe was efficient on the offensive end, but certain problems inevitably occurred on the defensive end.

Given his age and the impact of injuries, he cannot guard against Hood.

This also resulted in the score between the two sides not opening up much since the beginning of the fourth quarter.
To be continued...