After being the man of the moment last time out against Dubai Basketball by recording a season-high 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, Bryant exceled again on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old guard shot 7-for-10 from inside the arc, 1-for-2 from deep and a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. He was 1 board away from a double-double, as he registered 24 points and 9 rebounds. He also bagged 4 assists, pacing his team in all three categories to end the game on a career-high PIR of 39.
More importantly, he stepped up when Baskonia pushed for a comeback in the third quarter. The visitors were trailing 69-55 before mounting a 2-11 surge fueled by Hamidou Diallo, who brought them within 71-66.
Enter Bryant, who kept grinding away on both ends. The Hapoel guard netted 9 of Hapoel’s next 11 points and made some important defensive stops to single-handedly restore a double-digit cushion, 81-68, dealing a major blow to Baskonia’s comeback hopes.