On April 29, 2012, Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum invited the Denver Nuggets to a block party in L.A.’s first playoff game of the year, swatting 10 shots to tie an NBA playoff record for blocks.
Ten rejections already sound impressive, but it seems like an even greater feat when realizing that the Nuggets only took 90 shots, meaning Bynum blocked 11 percent of Denver’s total attempts.
Bynum also scored 10 points and 13 rebounds to finish with a triple-double. As a big man, that was bit of a rarity. Of course, if Bynum ever had a shot at such a stat line, he’d likely have to reach it with blocked shots, not the more common assists.
As dominant as he was, Bynum still didn’t even have the Lakers’ highest plus-minus on the day. That distinction belonged to Kobe Bryant, who was his typically impressive self with 31 points on 11-for-24 shooting to go with four assists and five rebounds in the Lakers’ rout.
Pau Gasol (13 points, eight assists and eight rebounds) flirted with a triple-double of his own while helping grease the wheels of L.A.’s offense. Ramon Sessions had one of his better nights for the Lakers, scoring 14 points and dishing five assists.
Andrew Bynum and Lakers lost in second round
The rest of the series wouldn’t be as easy, as it took L.A. seven games to vanquish Denver before falling 4-1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
That wound up being Bynum’s last season with the Lakers as he was a part of the blockbuster trade that brought Dwight Howard to the team.
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