SAN ANTONIO — The Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs did not want to be on the court after learning Kobe Bryant had died, but they tried to honor him as best they could.
The teams collaborated on a touching tribute to Bryant at the beginning of their game Sunday, with each team dribbling out the 24-second shot clock in remembrance of the No. 24 worn by the retired NBA great, who died in a helicopter crash at age 41.
Pascal Siakam scored 35 points to lead the Raptors past the Spurs 110-106 on a day when many players’ thoughts were elsewhere.
“You think about his family and his friends and the situation they are going through,” Toronto veteran Marc Gasol said. “You just want to go home and kiss your kids and your wife. The rest is irrelevant right now.”
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among the nine people killed when the helicopter they were riding in crashed in Calabasas, California. The teams found out about Bryant’s death about an hour before the afternoon tipoff.
“Everybody is pretty emotional about the tragedy with Kobe,” San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich said. “All of us know what a great player he was, but he went beyond great playing, he was a competitor, that goes unmatched. It’s what made him as a player so attractive to everybody, that focus, that competitiveness, that will to win. And even more importantly than that, we all feel a deep sense of loss for what he meant to all of us in so many ways and so many millions of people loved him for so many different reasons. It’s just a tragic thing. There are no words that can describe how everybody feels about it. We are all thinking about the family and the process that they’re going to be going through now. That’s where all our thoughts should be.”
GRIZZLIES 114, SUNS 109: Ja Morant scored 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help Memphis hold off visiting Phoenix.
The Grizzlies won the opening tip and immediately took a 24-second clock violation. When the Suns took possession, they stayed in the backcourt for an 8-second violation – the 24 and 8 representing Bryant’s two numbers during his NBA career.
KNICKS 110, NETS 107: Julius Randle had 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead New York past visiting Brooklyn, which played without Kyrie Irving following the news of Kobe Bryant’s death.
Marcus Morris added 21 points to help the Knicks earn a split of the season series.
Spencer Dinwiddie, back in the starting lineup with Irving out, scored 23 points for the Nets.
HAWKS 152, WIZARDS 133: Trae Young had 45 points and 14 assists in an emotional game for the first-time All-Star, helping Atlanta beat visiting Washington.
Young looked up toward the rafters several times to honor Kobe Bryant, his mentor and favorite NBA star. Young wore a No. 8 jersey to acknowledge Bryant and dressed up his shoes with a heartfelt tribute.
Bradley Beal scored 40 points for Washington.
CLIPPERS 112, MAGIC 97: Kawhi Leonard scored 15 of his 31 points in a big third quarter and Los Angeles won at Orlando.
NUGGETS 117, ROCKETS 110: Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season, and Jerami Grant scored a season-high 25 points in Denver’s victory over visiting Houston.
Russell Westbrook scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half for Houston. James Harden sat out because of a bruised left thigh.
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