On March 6, 2000, Shaquille O’Neal was in the midst of what would be his lone MVP season as his Los Angeles Lakers matched up against the LA Clippers. That day also happened to be O’Neal’s 28th birthday and he had a party all night long against the Clippers’ undermanned frontline.
O’Neal finished with 61 points (on 24-for-35 shooting and a 13-for-22 night at the free throw line), 23 rebounds and three assists as the Lakers dismantled the Clippers 123-103. It would end up being the greatest single-game performance of O’Neal’s regular-season career and one of the best single-game performances in Lakers’ lore as well.
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