Make a steal, make a fast-break dunk, get the and-one, kiss the girl — it sounds like something of a fairy-tale sequence for a basketball player. When you're dealing with Metta World Peace, though, every fairy tale must have its fracture; on Sunday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers forward didn't exactly throw it down with authority:
Still, World Peace got the lucky bounce, then went looking for a Lady Luck to thank for the kind roll — just as he did back in October, when he strolled into the stands to smooch a fan's hand after making a nice defensive play during a preseason game against the Utah Jazz.
The rip, the basket and the extracurricular activity all added a bit of lighthearted spectacle to a desperately needed victory, as L.A. topped Cleveland 113-93 to snap a six-game losing streak and win for the first time in more than two weeks.
Dwight Howard returned from a weeklong absence resting a torn labrum in his right shoulder to score 22 points on 9 for 11 shooting, grab 14 rebounds and help anchor a Laker defense that held Cleveland to 41 percent shooting in the loss. in his return to the lineup after being sidelined for a week with a torn labrum in his right shoulder, helping L.A. break a six-game losing streak with a 113-93 win over Cleveland at Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 23 points on 9 for 14 shooting and six assists, point guard Steve Nash added 10 points on 3 for 4 shooting with nine assists, and reserves Antawn Jamison (16 points, four rebounds, two steals), Darius Morris (14 points on 5 for 9 shooting) and Chris Duhon (seven assists against just one turnover in nearly 20 minutes) all chipped in off the Laker bench. L.A. shot a scorching 58 percent from the floor and 52 percent from 3-point land in dispatching the lowly Cavs, who fell to 9-30 on the season, the NBA's second-worst record. The win improves the Lakers' mark to 16-21; Mike D'Antoni's team remains four games out of the West's eighth and final playoff spot.
After the game, World Peace noted the importance of a fun little play like this to break up what's been a dour few weeks in L.A.
"I think fans have been suffering a little bit so I guess it was cool to see something like that," World Peace said, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
Especially for one lucky female fan.
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