10. Jordan Clarkson vs. Suns – January 19th
The Lakers’ second round steal dunks his way into the tenth spot with a tenacious putback dunk over the top of a helpless Isaiah Thomas. Clarkson’s raw energy and enthusiasm is infectious, and he’s growing increasingly fond of highlight reel plays, too. Long may it continue, rookie.
9. Kobe Bryant vs. Pacers – January 4th
It’s the first game-winning shot of the list, and it may not be the last. As the game wound to its conclusion, a fine sky-hook sunk the Pacers and provided L.A. with a one-point lead with 12.4 on the clock. Roy Hibbert‘s laughable retaliation deserves its own place in a top ten somewhere, but this moment belongs to the Mamba himself. The shot’s timing was poignant too coming just days after fresh arguments arose online as to whether or not Bryant really was as clutch as many profess him to be. Thank Twitter for the motivation, then.
8. Kobe Bryant vs. Warriors – November 1st
It’s that man again, this time with a gravity-defying circus shot that took pride of place in an otherwise embarrassing fixture. Bryant’s lob hit the top of the backboard, rolled its way down to the rim, bobbled along the iron twice and then, after what seemed like an eternity, found its way into the net. Young must’ve been handing out pointers.
Next: #7-#5