Nov. 20, 2001 23 years, 89 days
Fresh off their second of three championships in a row, nothing was about to stop Kobe Bryant and the Lakers from improving their record to 9-1.
Bryant dropped 25 points, including 11 in the second quarter, while handing out 12 assists in a 98-93 win on the Clippers’ floor at Staples Center.
Kobe was feeling it from distance, as he went 7-of-14 from the field with six of his buckets coming from 17 feet or farther.
This included cashing all three of his 3-point attempts — which looked even better compared to the Clippers’ combined performance from downtown (1-of-15).
Led by a spirited effort from Elton Brand (22 points, 19 rebounds), the Clippers managed to trim the Lakers’ lead down to three with 47 seconds left. But Brian Shaw hit four straight free throws to ice it.
The Clippers actually outrebounded the purple and gold, 57-39, but the Lakers were simply more efficient. Bryant also shot 8-of-10 on free throws and tallied three steals, while Shaquille O’Neal did the rest with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Kobe performances on this day in history: