How spectacular was Kobe Bryant's 81-point game? Taking a closer look at one of the greatest nights in NBA history
On January 22, 2006, the basketball world was shaken as Kobe Bryant tallied a staggering 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. Since then, there has been no other player that has even come close to breaking that record.
Prior to the game, the Los Angeles Lakers were still trying to push for the playoffs as they held a 21-20 record at the time. It was a period when the Lakers were trying to prove that they can live without Shaquille O'Neal and there were doubts about whether Kobe Bryant could carry the team alone.
The Lakers just lost back-to-back games against Mike Bibby's Sacramento Kings in overtime and Steve Nash's Phoenix Suns by 13 points, respectively. Bryant just came in trying to avoid getting a .500 record.
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17 years ago today, Kobe dropped 81 points in one of the greatest performances in NBA history 🐍♾️ https://t.co/iXWV1SHadX
Heading into the game, Kobe Bryant was alongside Lamar Odom, Smush Paker, Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm on the starting lineup. Devean George, Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, Brian Cook and Devin Green rounded up the purple and gold's bench.
On the other end of the floor, the Toronto Raptors fielded a young Chris Bosh with Mike James, Matt Bonner, Morris Peterson and Jalen Rose, who was tasked with guarding the "Black Mamba".
@notcapnamerica That’s Jalen Rose, a basketball player, who Kobe Bryant put 81 points against his team. 😂😂
https://t.co/SwIod35Cr5
In the first quarter, it was just a normal day at the office for Bryant, dropping 14 points while the Lakers were down by seven. He added 12 more in the second quarter but the Lakers were still down by 14 points at half-time.
It was in the second half where Bryant started to catch fire as he ignited the Toronto Raptors with 27 points and the Lakers went into the last quarter with the lead. But Kobe was not done yet. The fourth quarter is when things ramped up even more as Bryant dropped a further 28 points to secure the win and a place in NBA history.
More than the record, Kobe Bryant was just trying to keep his team afloat during the season as he had no help in the offense. Notably, Pau Gasol was still two years away from arriving in LA to help.
Since then, there have only been three players to crack 70 points in a game. Devin Booker had 70 in 2016 while Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard had 71 each in 2023.
What separates Kobe Bryant and his 81-point performance from other scoring feats?
Fellow LA Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain still holds the best scoring output by any player in the NBA with 100 points. The "Big Dipper" also reached 70 points thrice in his 15-year career. But the 60s and 70s were a much easier era as compared to what Kobe Bryant faced.
Back then, NBA players were not fully employed and there were not many athletes that could challenge a 7-foot-1 giant in the paint. Kobe, at 6-foot-7, had to go through a much-evolved version of basketball.
Most points in a game since ‘95:
Kobe Bryant - 81 points
Donovan Mitchell - 71 points
Damian Lillard 71 points
Devin Booker 70 points https://t.co/4T9dNGwIUT
Kobe Bryant was indeed special and his 81-point game against the Raptors will forever be talked about by basketball fans for generations to come.