Lakers News: Dirk Nowitzki Praises Kobe Following Sunday Matchup

Following the Lakers’ victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon, Dirk Nowitzki praised Bryant’s 38-point performance. Nowitzki, who scored 30 points of his own, applauded Bryant, calling him the player of the decade, according to ESPN Los Angeles.

“He’s been the best player in my decade,” said Nowitzki, who also had his season high with 13 rebounds after missing the first 27 games following knee surgery. “I’ve in the NBA a long time and he’s the one player I love to watch.”

There’s no question that Sunday’s game was one of the more exciting matchups of the season. The back and forth battle between Bryant and Dirk was quite impressive, and certainly made for one of the more entertaining games of the season.

Even Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni praised Bryant’s performance following the game.

“That’s why he’s Kobe Bryant,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He’s not John Smith. No disrespect to John Smith, whoever he is. That’s what he does. That’s what he loves. That’s what he trains for.”

With their third straight win, Los Angeles is 28-29, and has a chance to crawl back to .500 on Monday night when they take on the Nuggets in Denver.