OAKLAND, Calif. — Kobe Bryant scored eight points Thursday night in what is expected to be his final NBA game in Oakland, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Golden State Warriors from outlasting the Los Angeles Lakers 116-98 for their 37th consecutive home victory.
Point guard Stephen Curry bombed in 24 of his game-high 26 points on 3-pointers, helping the Warriors (37-3) record a seventh straight home win over the Lakers (9-32).
The Oakland fans treated Bryant like one of their own — rather than the one that got away in the 1996 draft — during a lengthy pregame introduction.
The Warriors selected North Carolina State center Todd Fuller 11th overall 20 years ago, two spots before Charlotte took Bryant and dealt him to the Lakers.
He responded with a poor shooting night, going just 4-for-15, but he did find time for six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 27 minutes.
Bryant’s eight points were far under the 27.1 average he accumulated in his first 32 visits to the San Francisco Bay Area.
He managed only two points in the third quarter while the Warriors were extending a three-point halftime advantage to 86-72 by period’s end.
Curry had a hoop and two assists in a 13-2, quarter-closing run as the Warriors won for the third straight time this season in games that immediately followed a loss.
Golden State fell 112-110 at Denver on Wednesday night.
Curry finished 9-for-18 from the field overall and 8-for-16 on 3-pointers.
Reserves Shaun Livingston (17) and Leandro Barbosa (15) combined for 32 points for the Warriors, who improved to 19-0 at home this season.
Power forward Draymond Green, who sat out Wednesday’s loss for a rest, had team highs in rebounds (nine), assists (five) and steals (three) to go with seven points.
Golden State made half its shots in the game and 13 of its 33 3-point attempts.
Los Angeles shot 44.4 percent from the floor, 4-for-24 from 3-point range.
Point guard Jordan Clarkson had 22 points and backcourt mate Lou Williams added 21 for the Lakers, who were coming off home win over New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.
The Lakers also got 14 points apiece off the bench from point guard D’Angelo Russell and power forward Julius Randle.
Bryant was much more effective on the defensive end than on offense, limiting Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson to 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting.
NOTES: Lakers SG Kobe Bryant has a 27.3-point career scoring average against the Warriors, having totaled 1,800 points in 66 games, the most he has scored against any NBA team. … Warriors executive board member Jerry West, the Lakers’ president at the time, recalled offering C Vlade Divac to every team in the 1996 draft until the Charlotte Hornets, drafting 13th, finally said yes. One of those teams was the Warriors, who instead took C Todd Fuller at No. 11. Trading Divac opened up enough space under the salary cap to allow the Lakers to sign C Shaquille O’Neal as a free agent. … West labeled Bryant “one of the 10 top players of all time, probably higher.” … Bryant and Warriors interim coach Luke Walton were teammates for eight years with the Lakers, winning two championships (2009 and 2010). … Golden State drafted Joe Bryant, Kobe’s father, with 14th overall pick of 1975 draft.