Jan. 1, 2010
31 years, 131 days
It was a new year, but the same, clutch Kobe Bryant.
With his team trailing by two, Bryant shook off his defender, caught a pass from Pau Gasol and drained the game-winning, 25-foot 3-pointer at the final buzzer to steal the Lakers a 109-108 victory over Sacramento.
“It was just a matter of me getting to that spot with enough time to get a shot off,’ Bryant told the media. “Phil (Jackson) drew up a play for a 3. He wanted me to get a good look and knock it down. I think he wanted to get out of here.”
Bryant was brilliant all night long, scoring 39 points, while shooting 13-of-27 from the field, 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and 8-of-11 at the free throw line.
The Lakers trailed by as many as 20 points, but Bryant — who scored 27 in the second half alone — powered his team’s rally, with help from Gasol (17 points, 16 reobounds) and Lamar Odom (20 points, 10 rebounds).
The Kings were actually even more impressive offensively, as they shot 54.4 percent — 9.1 percent better than Los Angeles.
But the purple and gold outscored them at the foul line, 23-12, and had 15 offensive rebounds to Sacramento’s four, which allowed them to stave off Spencer Hawes’ career-high 30 points.
Kobe performances on this day in history: