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Kobe channels wilt, goes for 81 points
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-23 15:37
Kobe Bryant kept shooting, from all over the court and from every angle. By
halftime, he had 26 points — not a bad tally for most players. By the end of the
game, he had put up the second-highest total in NBA history.
Toronto Raptors'
Matt Bonner can't stop Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant from getting to the
basket in the first half of NBA basketball action on Sunday, Jan. 22,
2006, in Los Angeles. [AP] |
The Los Angeles
Lakers' star scored a staggering 81 points Sunday night against the Toronto
Raptors in a 122-104 win. Only Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game stands ahead of
him.
"It just happened, man" Bryant said. "It really hasn't, like, set in for me.
It's about the `W,' that's why I turned it on. It turned into something special.
"To sit here and say I grasp what happened, that would be lying. Not even in
my dreams."
The NBA's leading scorer left to a standing ovation with 4.2 seconds
remaining, having shot 28-of-46 from the floor, including 7-of-13 from 3-point
range and 18-of-20 from the foul line.
With the fans at Staples Center chanting "MVP! MVP!" Bryant made two free
throws with 43.4 seconds remaining for his final points. He scored 27 points in
the third quarter, 28 in the fourth.
"It feels great to put on a great show here," he said.
Chamberlain scored 100 points for Philadelphia against the New York Knicks at
Hershey, Pa., on March 2, 1962, making 36-of-63 from the field and 28-of-32 from
the foul line while playing all 48 minutes.
Chamberlain had 59 points in the second half — the only player with more
points in a half than Bryant's 55 after halftime in this game.
Chamberlain's second-highest total was 78 against the Lakers in three
overtimes on Dec. 8, 1961.
Elgin Baylor held the previous franchise record of 71 points at New York on
Nov. 15, 1960. Lakers assistant Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time leading
scorer, saw that game, too.
"Elgin's game was an incredible performance, also. I don't think there's any
comparison. Elgin did it without 3-point lines. His game was attacking the hoop
and hitting jumpers inside 20 feet. Kobe's range is unreal, and he does it his
way," Abdul-Jabbar said.
"It was a real treat. His ability to shoot from long range and also attack
the hoop, split the defense and get in close for opportunities near the basket
is unique. He's made a niche for himself and he deserves it."
Michael Jordan's career high was 69 points, and only four players had ever
scored more than 70 — Chamberlain, Baylor, David Thompson and David Robinson.
The 27-year-old Bryant made it five. His previous career high was 62 points
during a 112-90 victory over Dallas last month — he sat out the fourth quarter
because of the one-sided nature of the game.
"I was just determined. I was just locked in, tuned into what was going on
out there," Bryant said. "These points tonight mattered. We needed them. The
points I put in the basket were instrumental. It means a lot more."
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