Eight years ago, the Los Angeles Lakers welcomed the Toronto Raptors to Staples Center for a regular-season matchup.
It would become the night that Kobe Bryant scored the second-most points in an NBA game and set a Laker record for points in a game when he dropped 81 points in 42 minutes of play in a 122-104 victory.
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Bryant finished the night 28-of-46 from the field, including 7-of-13 from behind the three-point line and 18-of-20 from the free throw line. He added six rebounds, three steals and two assists on his historic night. His 81 points was second to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. Bryant broke Elgin Baylor’s Laker record of 71 points in 1960.
The Laker shooting guard scored 55 points in the second half and helped the team overcome an 18-point deficit in the third quarter. In that third quarter, he scored 27 points and added another 28 in the fourth before being removed from the game with 4.2 seconds left.
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