5) March 28, 2003 | Lakers vs. Wizards | Key Stats: 55 points (15-for-29 FG, 9-for-13 3PT FGA)
• Box Score
Speaking of Jordan, Bryant had his way with the Washington-version of MJ at the Staples Center in 2003. An amazing 42 of Bryant's 55 points came in the first half. While Jordan is generally viewed as a superior player to Bryant, the student bested the teacher in MJ's final season in the NBA.
4) February 2, 2009 | Lakers vs. Knicks | Key Stats: 61 points (19-for-31 FG, 20-for-20 FTA)
• Box Score
Ho, hum, here comes the run of 60-plus point games from Bryant. He and Pau Gasol combined for a modest 92 of the Lakers' 126 points against the Knicks in 2009.
Kobe sunk all 20 of his free throws for the 38-9 Lakers on that February night. At the time, he broke the record for most points ever in a game at Madison Square Garden, topping the likes of Bernard King and Michael Jordan. The record would later be broken by Carmelo Anthony in 2014.
3) March 16, 2007 | Lakers vs. Trail Blazers | Key Stats: 65 points (23-for-39 FG), seven rebounds, three steals
• Box Score
When a 65-point effort clocks in as the third best game of your NBA career, chances are you're doing something right. 2007 was right in the midst of the do-it-all Kobe years, considering the rest of his starting lineup consisted of Sasha Vujajic, Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown and Smush Parker.
So naturally, Bryant hoisted up 39 field goal attempts and hoped for the best against Portland. The Lakers were coming off a seven-game losing streak at the time, and The Mamba refused to be denied against Zach Randolph, Brandon Roy and the Trail Blazers. He finished with a whopping 33 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined, and his 65 for the night were the second best total of his outstanding career.
2) December 20, 2005 | Lakers vs. Mavericks | Key Stats: 62 points (18-for-31 FG), eight rebounds, 32 minutes
• Box Score
No, that is not a typo. Kobe almost averaged two points per minute in a 2005 tilt against the Mavericks. Just for fun, let's say Kobe happened to play 40 minutes that night. By the rate at which he was scoring, Bryant could have tacked on 15 extra points to his total, giving him 77 on the evening.
Phil Jackson, how could you pull this guy after three quarters? Well, the Lakers were well in control heading into the fourth, and perhaps the Zen Master was frustrated that Bryant did not record a single assist to go along with his 62 points. Bryant's great night could have been a different level of extraordinary had he played his normal minutes load.
1) January 22, 2006 | Lakers vs. Raptors | Key Stats: 81 points (28-for-46 FGA), six rebounds and three steals
