Kobe Bryant brought it every night. His best game came in an otherwise ho-hum January matchup against the [Raptors](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/nba/toronto-raptors), finishing with 81 points to overshadow the NFC and AFC Championship Games played that same day.
The [Lakers](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/nba/los-angeles-lakers) needed every one of those baskets. Trailing by as many as 18 points, the Lakers looked destined for a loss. Bryant got angry, and the Lakers got the win.
The Black Mamba was relentless, scoring 55 in the second half and carrying his team. He drove to the rim, hit seven 3’s, attacked from the midrange, and got to the line 20 times. Everyone knew where the ball was going. The Raptors used every player and every defensive scheme imaginable to try and stop Kobe from scoring. Coach Sam Mitchell broke out high school defenses, using a box-and-1 and triangle-and-2. Nothing worked.
Kobe finished the night with a pair of free throws to get him to 81 with 42 seconds left. The Lakers flipped the deficit into a comfortable 122-104 win. It was a mark that stood for 20 years before being recently topped by Bam Adebayo.
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