Kobe Bryant’s Top 10 Games of 2012-13

4. vs. Dallas, April 2 – 23 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks

3. at New Orleans, March 6 – 42 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 blocks

Mar 6, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) reacts after dunking the ball against the New Orleans Hornets during the end of the fourth quarter at the New Orleans Arena. Los Angeles defeated New Orleans 108-102. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

Bryant clearly dominated the Mavs this season, with the fourth best performance of the season coming late. With the Mavs on the Lakers heels in the playoff chase, the matchup in early April was the Lakers biggest of the season. Bryant, as he’s done his whole career, answered the challenge with a triple double en route to a 20-point blowout. The game all but eliminated the Mavs from title contention and catapulted the Lakers further into the playoff race.

The third place game was one of the most memorable ones this year. The Lakers saw themselves balancing on the .500 mark when they traveled to New Orleans. While most saw this as an easy win, the Lakers went into the 4th quarter down 18 points. For reasons no one may ever know, the Lakers finally rallied, outscoring the Hornets 33-9, 18 of those points from Bryant while he assisted on four other baskets. Bryant buried home the dagger on a play that only Hollywood could draw up, which saw the Hornets inexplicably lining up to defend the wrong basket, leaving Bryant with an open court slam to ice the game.