Dec. 28, 2004
26 years, 127 days
Forty-eight points later, it was clear that it would take more than a sprained shoulder to slow down Kobe Bryant.
After falling on a layup attempt in the first quarter, Bryant went to the locker room for treatment. He returned to shoot 14-of-26 from the field and 16-of-18 at the line in the Lakers’ 117-99 victory over Toronto.
“There were certain things that I could not do with it, but I could still raise my arm up and still move it from side to side,” Bryant told the media. “Some of the movements I couldn’t do — like tying my shoe — were not really important.”
Bryant scored 25 in the first half alone, but he saved his best for the fourth quarter.</p.
His team trailing by six with 8:15 left, Bryant engineered a 32-8 game-ending run in which he provided 17 points. The Lakers also featured stellar defense, as the Raptors missed 10 of their last 11 shots in the final 6:30.
The Lakers finished with crucial advantages in free throws (30-13) and 3-pointers (13-6), while Lamar Odom pitched in 15 points and 13 rebounds in the purple and gold’s sixth straight win over Toronto.
Kobe performances on this day in history: