Los Angeles (AFP)

Tears continued to flow on North American floors Wednesday during multiple tributes made on the occasion of NBA meetings to the missing star of the Lakers, Kobe Bryant.

In New York, the Nets and their fans paid tribute to him in a video broadcast before the match against Detroit and respecting eight seconds of silence. Kyrie Irving, close to Bryant, could not hold back her tears.

Two empty chairs at the edge of the field, where bouquets of flowers rested, symbolized the place where Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, 13, also deceased in the helicopter accident on Sunday, took their place during a match at the Barclays Center on December 21.

The meeting, during which spectators chanted "Kobe, Kobe, Kobe", was won by Brooklyn who overcame Detroit (12-115) thanks in particular to 10 of his 28 points scored by Spencer Dinwiddie during the fourth quarter -time.

- "It's Mamba mentality" -

Drying his tears too, Victor Oladipo, back on the floors after a year of absence, referred to Bryant's "Mamba mentality" to explain his prodigious 3-point bell shot that allowed Indiana to snatch overtime before the buzzer against Chicago.

"I just fired. This is the Mamba mentality. It is for Kobe and all those present in the helicopter," he said moved to tears after the victory (115-106), the 8th rank of the Pacers on the Bulls.

The latter, who had the match in hand, will not recover and will then crack in overtime despite the 21 points of Chandler Hutchison.

Damian Lillard scored his first career triple-double (36 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to victory against the Houston Rockets (125-112) despite Carmelo Anthony's 13 rebounds.

The only top team to play on Wednesday, the Utah Jazz, third in the Western Conference (32v-15d), lost to San Antonio (127-120).

In other games, Memphis won in New York among the Knicks (127-106) and Oklahoma City went to win in Sacramento (120-100).

It is also in tribute to Kobe Bryant and the fighting spirit that he embodied that the Lakers team resumed training on Wednesday. "We want to defend what Kobe stood for. We always wanted to make him proud, and we have no plans to change," Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters.

Star players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis were on the floor but stayed away from the media.

In sporting terms, the calendar is fixed. The NBA had certainly decided to postpone the derby originally scheduled for January 28, which was to pit the Lakers against the Clippers, the other franchise in Los Angeles. But the next meeting will take place as scheduled Friday, facing the Portland Trail Blazers, at the Staples Center.

© 2020 AFP