KOBE BRYANT got the cheers but not the victory in what might have been his last game at Madison Square Garden (MSG), as the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-95 Sunday.

    He already loved the place even before scoring his first point in the NBA here nearly two decades ago, and the only thing that’s changed now is how much the fans love him back.

    “I can remember my first game coming in here, not knowing what the hell to expect and what to do, but just being in such a great arena,” Bryant said, “and then to be here 20 years later and to have that happen feels amazing.”

    Bryant finished with 18 points, far off the 30.7 per game he had been averaging here and fewer than half the 40 or more he managed on three occasions during a series of highlights in the arena.

    The 37-year-old superstar, who hasn’t said if he will retire after this season, missed two shots and twice fouled Carmelo Anthony during New York’s 11-0 run that turned a three-point deficit into a 98-90 lead.

    Anthony scored 24 points, and said if Bryant leaves he will miss the player he called a big brother.

    “I told him, I said it’s not going to feel the same with him being gone,” Anthony said. “Him helping me kind of throughout my career, being that guy I can talk to, it’s not going to be the same.”

    Jose Calderon, Robin Lopez and Langston Galloway all scored 14 points for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game losing streak with their first home victory of the season.

    Bryant shot 6 for 19, but the poor finish can’t take away from all the other memories he has here. He scored his first NBA point here on a free throw Nov. 5, 1996, in his second game. He played in his first All-Star Game here in 1998, and scored 61 points here Feb. 2, 2009, a record since surpassed by Anthony.(SD-Agencies)