The Los Angeles Lakers were channeling Kobe Bryant's energy on Sunday as they took a 2-0 lead over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
Wearing their "Black Mamba" jerseys in honor of Bryant, the Lakers took Game 2 of the series thanks to a buzzer-beating three from Anthony Davis in the final seconds.
Trailing 103-102 with just 2.1 seconds remaining, Davis received the inbound pass and drilled a sky-high three in dramatic fashion.
—NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 21, 2020Replays of Davis' celebration appeared to show him yelling out "KOBE!" after his hit his game-winner.
—SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 21, 2020Chances are if you've ever played pick-up basketball, or even just attempted to shoot a wadded-up piece of paper into a trash can, you're familiar with the time-honored tradition of calling out "KOBE!" to accompany your shot.
As it turns out, the pros do it too.
Davis confirmed that he was shouting out Bryant after the game. "Obviously we're wearing the jerseys. He's hit countless shots like that to win games," Davis said.
Davis also told reporters that the team takes special pride in wearing and winning in the Black Mamba jerseys.
"Every time we put on those jerseys, I believe we're representing him," Davis told reporters after his 31-point, nine-rebound game. "... He would make big-time plays, so it's time for us to make big-time plays."
—NBA TV (@NBATV) September 21, 2020Even Lakers head coach Frank Vogel acknowledged Bryant's influence on the night.
"That's a shot Kobe Bryant would hit," Vogel said. "That's a Mamba shot."
—Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 21, 2020With their 2-0 series lead over the Nuggets, the Lakers are now just six wins away from being crowned NBA Champions. If they can do it, it'll be the first time that the Purple and Gold lift the trophy since Bryant led the team to the 2010 title.
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