Vs. Utah Jazz – Nov. 30, 2006
It almost feels like a bit of a letdown now that we’ve reached the 81 points and are now looking elsewhere, but Kobe had some huge performances against the Utah Jazz over the course of his career. However, one of the more remarkable, especially in terms of per-minute scoring, came at the start of the 2006-07 season against Utah in STAPLES when Bryant just eviscerated the Jazz by himself.
Kobe played only 34 minutes against the Jazz in this game. If you think that means he didn’t put up a big number in the scoring column, you’d be wholly wrong. Kobe still managed to put up a whopping 52 points in this game as he shot 73.1 percent from the floor (19-26) on the night. Just for good measure, Kobe also added four rebounds, three assists, and one block on the night. However, it’s the unreal scoring effort when he wasn’t on the floor for that long that stands out.
Honorable mention against Utah for Kobe came in 2001 when he put up 39 pints, eight assists, six rebound, three steals, and one block on them early in the season in Utah. However, the 52 points in 34 minutes is just too good to not have at the top of his games against the Jazz.
Next: Vs. Wizards