Kobe Bryant sparked the Lakers’ furious last-minute rally, but an unlikely teammate ended it.
Trailing by seven with 1:13 remaining in Denver, Bryant hit a 3-pointer, which was then followed by a steal and layup from Luke Walton.
The Lakers trailed, 111-109, with 3.2 seconds to go and tried to get the ball to Bryant, but it instead ended up in the hands of Kareem Rush, who buried the game-winner.
While Rush provided the heroics, Bryant served as the engine in Los Angeles’ fifth straight win by scoring 35 points to match the production from a rookie named Carmelo Anthony.