Vs. Miami Heat – Dec. 4, 2009
Despite the superstar matchup with Dwyane Wade when facing the Miami Heat for much of his career, the type of game that Bryant traditionally steps up for, his impressive outings against the Heat aren’t quite as staggering as they have been against many other teams in the league. However, I like his outing on Dec. 4, 2009 as the Lakers were on their way to Kobe’s fifth championship as his best night against the Heat.
In 42 minutes, Kobe put up 33 points, three assists, seven rebounds, and three steals against the Heat as he helped carry the Lakers to a victory over Miami. Moreover, he shot a nice percentage from the floor as he went 12-25 from the field. However, this obviously gets the nod because, well, it featured some heroics from Kobe as he was the one to get the win for the Lakers.
After Wade hit only one of two free throws with less than five seconds left, Kobe caught the inbounds pass and put up a three with about a second left on the clock. As one of his many career game-winners, it was money and it gave the Lakers this win in a high-profile matchup.
Next: Vs. Bucks