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Kobe Scores 62

Authored by Scott Essman - December 21, 2005 - 1:57 am

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Against the Dallas Mavericks in Los Angeles Tuesday night, Laker guard Kobe Bryant scored 15 in the first quarter and 17 in the second. How amazing is that?

For one, that total of 32 was already more points than the rest of the league - except Philadelphia's guard Allen Iverson - averages in an entire game this season. But Bryant was just getting warmed up.

Going into the second half of the game, the Lakers held a respectable but not overpowering 53-44 lead.

By the end of the third quarter, the game was over, relegating the entire fourth quarter to garbage time.
Bryant dropped 30 points on the Mavericks in the third quarter - all but 12 of the Lakers total points in that period - and the Lakers took a commanding 95-61 lead.

Bryant's 62 is a career high and the most points scored in the NBA this season. Only 9 points separated Bryant and the Laker record of 71 by Elgin Baylor on November 15, 1960 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Could he have broken the record? One will never know as he was rested for the entire fourth quarter.

Bryant was awesome in all ways, scoring at will as he made 18-31 total field goal attempts, 22-25 free throws, four three-pointers, and tied two teammates for the team lead with eight rebounds. Clearly, the man can do it all. It goes without saying that all other Laker and Maverick activity on this particular night remained inconsequential.