TDIKH

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Coming off his worst performance of the season, Kobe Bryant made sure to prove himself by providing his best one.

Fresh off an eight-point, 3-of-13 display against Sacramento, Bryant dropped a season-high 45 points to lead the Lakers’ 109-104 win over Golden State.

Bryant was hot from the start, scoring 14 points in the first quarter alone.

“He came out aggressive and shot the ball,” Shaquille O’Neal told the media. “He was Kobe.”

Still, individual scoring did not immediately translate into team success, as the Lakers trailed at halftime, 59-49, and the gap widened to 16 in the third quarter.

However, the Lakers finally turned it around in the last period, powered by 16 points from Bryant.

He hit a layup halfway through the quarter to take a 91-90 game, but Golden State answered right back. Still, Derek Fisher responded with a 3-pointer for an edge that Los Angeles would never surrender.

Bryant iced the game by scoring L.A.’s final seven points, all within the final 20 seconds.

In addition to shooting 14-of-29 from the field and 17-of-18 on free throws, Bryant tallied seven rebounds, eight assists and pairs of steals and blocks.

Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal pitched in 23 points and 13 rebounds to help the Lakers shoot 53.2 percent.

Kobe performances on this day in history:

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TDIKH: April 13

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It was the night that Kobe Bryant literally gave the Lakers all he had to give.

The superstar scored 34 points to lead Los Angeles’ victory over Golden State, but it cost him the remainder of the season, as he tore his Achilles tendon with three minutes left.

In true Black Mamba fashion, he wouldn’t leave the game until after he hit two free throws that resulted from the play that caused his injury.

“I can’t walk,” Bryant told reporters while on crutches in the Lakers’ locker room. “I tried to maybe put pressure on my heel, but there was nothing there.”

Bryant shot 9-of-21 with four 3-pointers, plus 12-of-16 on free throws in the Lakers’ 118-116 victory, which provided a crucial win in his team’s quest for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot.

Golden State led, 107-101, with five minutes left before Bryant hit a pair of 3-pointers to tie it all up. The Warriors scored once again, and the Lakers’ next possession resulted in the loss of their superstar.

Nonetheless, Bryant managed to tie the game at the foul line despite standing on a torn Achilles.

“He’s the greatest competitor, and he’s been that all season long — all through his career,” Pau Gasol said. “He’s been an example for us throughout all this. He showed character. He showed heart. And that’s what we’re going to need from now on.”

The teams traded baskets and free throws from there until L.A. pulled out the two-point win.

While Bryant played only six games the following season, the contest also proved to be a preview of the future, as Stephen Curry erupted for 47 points, six rebounds, nine assists and three steals, while shooting 17-of-31 with nine 3-pointers.

Meanwhile, Dwight Howard scored 28 points for the Lakers, while Gasol recorded his sixth career triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

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TDIKH: April 12

Mike Trudell

Kobe Bryant and co. rolled out to a 30-point advantage, but the Lakers needed every bit of their superstar in order to hold on against the Western Conference-leading New Orleans Hornets.

Bryant racked up 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead Los Angeles to a 107-104 victory and its first Pacific Division title in four years.

“It’s good to be No. 1,” Bryant told the media. “This was the first step.”

The Lakers rolled out to a 19-point first-quarter advantage and just kept going, pushing their lead up to 63-33 late in the second.

But the Hornets were far from out of it, as they worked their deficit down to 75-71. But Bryant immediately responded with 10 points during L.A.’s ensuing 17-6 run.

New Orleans once again fought back, bringing the Lakers’ lead down to 96-95 with four minutes remaining, but the purple and gold scored six unanswered to seal the win.

While Bryant shot 9-of-17 with three 3-pointers, Pau Gasol (25 points, 9-of-12) and Lamar Odom (13 points, 16 rebounds) each had huge hands in the win.

Meanwhile, the Hornets shot 51.3 percent and received strong efforts from Peja Stojakovic (24 points) and Chris Paul (15 points, 17 assists), though it wasn’t enough against the eventual Western Conference champions.

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TDIKH: April 11

Kobe Bryant didn’t sit for one second. Instead he tormented Portland in every possible way, leading the Lakers to a 113-106 victory, which earned him “MVP!” chants on the road.

Bryant — who had promised a playoff berth two months earlier — did it all for Los Angles, dropping 47 points while collecting eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and four blocks.

“What he is doing is phenomenal,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He’s determined to get us in the playoffs. That’s what happens when you open your mouth and guarantee that we’ll get in the playoffs.”

The Trail Blazers were smoking from the start, as they scored 41 in the first quarter for an eight-point lead.

But the Lakers eventually work their way back behind Bryant, who tallied 11 points in both of the middle quarters.

Pau Gasol scored six straight for the Lakers late in the game to steal a 102-100 lead. From there, Bryant took over, hitting a pair of free throws and a jumper for a six-point edge with four minutes left.

Led by Bryant, the Lakers shot 58.9 percent from the field, while Gasol (23 points, seven rebounds, nine assists) and Dwight Howard (20 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) both had big nights.

Rookie Damian Lillard did all he could for Portland, scoring 38 points with nine assists and three steals, but his team nonetheless dropped its ninth straight game.

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TDIKH: April 10

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In a preview of the 2009 Western Conference Finals, Kobe Bryant gave Denver a taste of what was to come, dropping 33 points to lead the Lakers to a 116-102 victory.

Pau Gasol added 27 points and 19 rebounds, while Andrew Bynum pitched in 16 points for Los Angeles’ fifth straight win.

Bryant shot 11-of-19 from the field and 9-of-10 a the free throw line to counter Carmelo Anthony’s 23 points.

Denver took a 64-63 lead midway through the third quarter, but Bryant, Gasol and Bynum then keyed a 19-5 run to take the advantage for good.

In fact, the Lakers outscored their visitors in the second half, 60-46, after playing to a 56-point tie in the first.

L.A. also hit 37 free throws on the night, while Denver made 25.

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TDIKH: April 9

On a night when Kobe Bryant broke the scoring record of a 13-year arena, his explosion still wasn’t enough for a Lakers’ victory.

Bryant dropped 51 points at America West Arena, but his team still fell in Phoenix, 107-96.

Bryant shot 19-of-33 from the field with five 3-pointers, but the Suns countered with seven of their eight players scoring in double figures, including Steve Nash (25) and Leandro Barbosa (23).

Lamar Odom complemented Bryant with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, but Shawn Marion (12 points, 14 rebounds) and Boris Diaw (12 points, 12 rebounds) also collected a couple.

Despite Bryant scoring 18 points in the first quarter, 12 in the second and 13 in the third, the Lakers never led.

They chipped Phoenix’s lead down to 80-79 at the end of the third quarter, but the Suns began the fourth with an 18-4 run.

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TDIKH: April 7

With two minutes left, Kobe Bryant took the game into his own hands.

The star Laker broke a 103-point tie by hitting a 20-foot bucket, as he scored seven of the Lakers’ final nine points in their 112-109 victory in Seattle.

Bryant finished the night with 46 points on 13-of-27 shooting, while punishing the SuperSonics at the foul line where he hit a 19-of-24 clip.

The Lakers fell behind by eight at halftime before Bryant turned it around by exploding for 20 points in the third quarter alone.

He also added six assists, five rebounds and three steals, while Lamar Odom scored 20 points (9-of-11) with seven assists.

While Seattle enjoyed a 50-31 rebounding advantage and were led by Chris Wilcox’s career-high 32 points and 18 rebounds, the Lakers were simply too efficient by shooting 50.6 percent.

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TDIKH: April 6

With an old teammate putting on a show for the other team, Kobe Bryant and co. did all they could to withstand Nick Van Exel’s career-high 41 points.

While the former Laker dazzled by shooting 14-of-26 with eight rebounds and nine assists, Los Angeles withstood the onslaught for a 117-104 win over Denver.

Bryant led the way, matching Glen Rice’s team-high 26 points. However, Bryant’s efficiency was higher than any other’s on the floor that night, shooting 8-of-12 while hitting all four of his shots from 3-point range.

“He played a really efficient basketball game tonight,” head coach Kurt Rambis told reporters. “No turnovers — I absolutely loved that.”

Danny Fortson added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets. He and Van Exel hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Lakers’ lead to 100-96 with about five minutes left, but L.A. knocked down three straight shots to push its advantage back to double figures.

In addition to Bryant and Rice, the Lakers’ big men also got the job done, as Shaquille O’Neal scored 20 points, while Dennis Rodman piled up 17 rebounds.

In fact, the entire team was clicking offensively. L.A. shot 50.6 percent from the field while handing out 33 assists.