Despite Josh Smith, Jeff Teague and Zaza Pachulia not playing due to injuries, the Atlanta Hawks pulled off an upset last night, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 96 – 92 at Philips Arena.
Kobe Bryant is not taking the loss well, however, claiming he was the victim of a dirty play at the end of the game after he went up for a shot that could have tied the game with seconds left. Kobe could be seen crying to the refs throughout the game, and in a post-game interview, the Lakers star claimed that the Hawks’ Dahntay Jones caused his severe ankle sprain by undercutting him.
Bryant is out indefinitely.
“First and foremost, I think officials really need to protect shooters,” Kobe said. “You can contest shots, but you can’t walk underneath players, that’s dangerous for the shooter… You just can’t go underneath shooters man, that’s a dangerous play.”
When asked what his immediate plans are, Kobe fired this answer off: “I can’t get my mind past the fact that I gotta wait a year to get revenge.”
Jones tweeted this in response to Kobe’s accusation:
I have the utmost respect for @kobebryant I would never try to intentionally hurt him. Just wanted to contest the fadeaway #thatsall
— Dahntay (@dahntay1) March 14, 2013
Tape doesn’t lie. Ankle was turned on the floor after the leg kick out that knocked him off balance. I would never try to hurt the man
— Dahntay (@dahntay1) March 14, 2013
Watch the play and Kobe’s interview below.
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