Vs. Milwaukee Bucks – Jan. 11, 2008
Kobe Bryant playing against the Milwaukee Bucks doesn’t hold the clout that many of the matchups with other teams around the league do. Quite frankly, the Bucks have been inconsistent over the years and they don’t have the historical significance to the Lakers that several other teams throughout the league do. Still, that doesn’t mean Kobe hasn’t had big performances over his career against Milwaukee and his outing on Jan. 11, 2008 is the best of the bunch.
In a winning effort—like most of Kobe’s best games against the Bucks have been over his 20 seasons—Bryant put up 37 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals in this game while shooting 12-25 from the floor and knocking down an impressive five of his nine three-point attempts. Even more impressive is the fact that he put up these numbers in only 37 minutes on the floor.
This was still technically in the era when Kobe was having to do most everything for the Lakers as Pau Gasol still hadn’t arrived in Los Angeles. This team wasn’t winning games unless Kobe was out of his mind and he was doing just that on a regular basis. That may be even more impressive than his individual game.
Next: Vs. Wolves