[onlòóker]

Truly a ball hog. He only had two assist, and the rest of the team scored 41. At least they won with this performance.

Kobe's 81-point game second only to Wilt

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant scored a staggering 81 points -- the second-highest total in NBA history -- and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 122-104 Sunday night.

With the fans at Staples Center chanting "MVP! MVP!" Bryant made two free throws with 43.4 seconds remaining for his final points, putting him behind only Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time scoring list.

Chamberlain scored 100 points for Philadelphia against the New York Knicks at Hershey, Pa., on March 2, 1962. His second-highest total was 78 against the Lakers in three overtimes on Dec. 8, 1961.

"I couldn't even dream of this when I was a kid," Bryant said. "There was no way possible."

Bryant left to a standing ovation with 4.2 seconds remaining, having shot 28-of-46 from the floor and 18-of-20 from the foul line. He was 7-of-13 from 3-point range.

Elgin Baylor held the previous franchise record of 71 points at New York on Nov. 15, 1960.

Michael Jordan's career high was 69 points, and only four players had ever scored more than 70 -- Chamberlain, Baylor, David Thompson and David Robinson.

The 27-year-old Bryant made it five.

He played nearly 42 minutes, going the entire second half until being lifted by coach Phil Jackson. He scored 27 points in the third quarter and 28 more in the fourth.

That came on the same night the NBA had its highest-scoring game in 11 years when Seattle beat Phoenix 152-149 in two overtimes. The last 300-point game in the league came when Dallas beat Houston 156-147 in two overtimes on April 11, 1995, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Bryant's previous career high was 62 points during a 112-90 victory over Dallas last month, but sat out the fourth quarter because of the one-sided nature of the game.

Afterwards, Bryant said the Lakers were lethargic and that's why he turned it into overdrive. He said it was exhausting even to think about it and that he couldn't really process what happened yet.

When asked what he'd do Monday he said, "Make some breakfast, sit back, chill, watch some cartoons ... do that whole thing."

What cartoon? "Tom and Jerry, man."

Phil Jackson said he'd never seen anything like it. He also said he'd prefer to be able to win a game without having to get 81 from one player -- but that when that's what's needed, it was nice to have that weapon in his arsenal.

Jackson said at one point he told an assistant coach he was going to take Bryant out because he felt the game was won. Jackson said the assistant replied "'I don't think you're going to be able to do that. He's got 77."

Lamar Odom's 3-pointer with 7:04 remaining gave the Lakers a 100-93 lead, and Bryant scored 30 seconds later to give him 61 points and his team a nine-point advantage.

Bryant scored all but 15 of the Lakers' 42 points in the third quarter, shooting 11-of-15 including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Six of his points came during a 12-0 run to finish the period, giving Los Angeles a 91-85 lead.

Smush Parker was second on the Lakers with 13 points and Chris Mihm added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Mike James had 26 points and 10 assists for Toronto. Chris Bosh added 18 points and eight rebounds and Jalen Rose scored 17 points.

The Lakers outscored the Raptors 38-14 to finish the third period to go ahead for good.

With Bryant on the bench, the Lakers were outscored 10-3 in the first 6 minutes of the second quarter. Sasha Vujacic's 3-pointer was their only field goal in 11 tries during that time.

The Raptors led by as many as 16 points in the period before settling for a 63-49 halftime lead. Bryant had 26 points and James had 19 points and nine assists in the first half.

Toronto shot 15-of-22 including 4-of-6 from 3-point range in the first quarter for a 36-29 lead.

Game notes
Bryant scored a season-low 11 points in the Lakers' 102-91 victory over the Raptors in Toronto last month. He had 14 in the first quarter of this game. ... The Raptors have gone 13-12 since losing 15 of their first 16 games this season. ... Bryant has led the Lakers in scoring in the last 21 games in which he's played. He entered with an NBA-leading 34.8-point average, and is averaging 45.5 points in 10 games since sitting out a two-game suspension. ... Toronto C Rafael Araujo, who has made 30 starts this season, missed his second straight game and third of the season because of a sore right shoulder. ... Bryant made his first five foul shots before missing late in the second quarter, snapping his streak of consecutive made free throws at 62. Michael Williams made an NBA-record 93 straight for Minnesota in 1993. ... Bryant received a technical foul with 10:44 left -- shortly after being accidentally struck above the right eye.

[onlòóker]

Here is a rundown of the highest scoring games.

NBA single-game scorers
100 -- Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia vs. New York at Hershey, Pa., March 2, 1962.
81 -- Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers vs. Toronto, Jan. 22, 2006.
78 -- Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia vs. L.A. Lakers, Dec. 8, 1961 (3 OT).
73 -- David Thompson, Denver at Detroit, April 9, 1978.
73 -- Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco at New York, Nov. 16, 1962.
73 -- Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia vs. Chicago, Jan. 13, 1962.
72 -- Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco at L.A. Lakers, Nov. 3, 1962.
71 -- David Robinson, San Antonio at L.A. Clippers, April 24, 1994.
71 -- Elgin Baylor, L.A. Lakers at New York, Nov. 15, 1960.
70 -- Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco vs. Syracuse, March 10, 1963.
69 -- Michael Jordan, Chicago at Cleveland, March 28, 1990.
68 -- Pete Maravich, New Orleans vs. New York, Feb. 25, 1977.
68 -- Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia vs. Chicago, Dec. 16, 1967.
Note: Wilt Chamberlain scored 67 points four times, 66 once and 65 points three times.

[pags11]

I did a double take when I saw this on sportscenter...I thought it was a mis-print at first...

[isetcap]

You call him a ball hog? Why would you want anybody else on that team shooting the ball when Kobe shoots 28 of 46? That's 61% from the field and 90% from the free throw line. They take him out of the game and Toronto goes on a 10-3 run. Simply put, he's healthy and the new guard rules are such that he can score 40 as an afterthought on any given night plus he plays allpro defense. Not only that, the Lakers are a winning team at home and on the road.

[bigboydan]

Wilt Chamberlain's was more impressive though, because he did it without assistance of the 3 point line.

[Bill Dozer]

That is just nuts. Did anyone Tivo that?

To be honest, I don't like to see the new NBA player surpass the true greats like Jordan but it was bound to happen. As long as the league continues to water down the teams with expansion and kids keep doggin it on D, I'm sure we will see some gunner break Wilt's record.

[bigboydan]

i didn't tivo that at all Bill. but, i'm sure it will be on ESPN classic soon enough.

[JoshW]

what can I say, that is a LOT of points.

[isetcap]

Originally Posted by bigboydan

Wilt Chamberlain's was more impressive though, because he did it without assistance of the 3 point line.

Wilt couldn't have hit a three if his life depended on it! Wilt's was more impressive because he scored 100 and actually made some free throws. There are very few people who know just how impressive it was because the game was not televised and only a few thousand people showed up to witness the event. Through the decades that number has of course grown to hundreds of thousands...

[isetcap]

Originally Posted by Bill Dozer

That is just nuts. Did anyone Tivo that?

To be honest, I don't like to see the new NBA player surpass the true greats like Jordan but it was bound to happen. As long as the league continues to water down the teams with expansion and kids keep doggin it on D, I'm sure we will see some gunner break Wilt's record.

The worst defense the league ever played was during the Magic/Bird, early Jordan era.

[sergfro]

Congrats on Kobe....Sucks that the team just kept feeding him the ball towards the end on every position. When he hit 60....you can easily tell the whole team gave up and gave the ball to kobe so he would score.....to give him credit..he was making some difficult shots.

[Illusion]

Absolutly amazing. I still can't believe he scored 55 in the 2nd half.

[shady610]

as amazing as this is, its still isnt the headline over NFL football. That bothers me.

[bigboydan]

Originally Posted by Illusion

Absolutly amazing. I still can't believe he scored 55 in the 2nd half.

you can't, hell i watch it and couldn't believe it.

[pags11]

50 is a ton of points, let alone 81...unbelievable...

[JoshW]

Press Release Source: WagerWeb.com


WagerWeb.com Posts Basketball Betting Odds on: Will Los Angeles Lakers Star Kobe Bryant Match or Better Wilt Chamberlain's NBA All-Time Single Game Points Scored Record During the 2006 NBA Season?
Tuesday January 24, 7:00 pm ET


ZAPOTE, Costa Rica, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Many of us headed to check out our hearing or eyesight when we got the news. Did they just say the Lakers star Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in an NBA basketball game? Not only was it true, but Bryant, who has been on a tear something fierce in recent weeks, ended up with the second most points ever in a single game in the proud history of the NBA. The only player to ever score more than Kobe was Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 in a game in 1962.
Many people have criticized Bryant, as of late, because he is scoring, but not often passing the ball. Regardless of your opinion of the Lakers star, Bryant had one of the best single game performances in the history of professional sports and his 81 points were 40 more than his entire team; He helped the Lakers come back from down 15 points to beat the Toronto Raptors.

"When I saw what Kobe did, I had to pinch myself 'cause I just simply couldn't believe it," said WagerWeb.com (http://www.wagerweb.com/) CEO Dave Johnson. "Bryant is truly a special player and he is capable of not only scoring 80 points again, but could possible break the all-time record of 100 that was set by Wilt Chamberlain back in the 1960's. We have already taken a large amount of wagers on Kobe doing just that."


WAGERWEB.COM POSTS BASKETBALL BETTING ODDS ON: KOBE BRYANT'S HIGHEST SCORING

GAME FOR THE REST OF THE 2006 REGULAR SEASON

60 points or less 1:2 -$200 *Risk $100 to win $200
61-70 points 1:1 +$100 *Risk $100 to win $100
71-80 points 4:1 +$400 *Risk $100 to win $400
81-90 points 10:1 +$1000 *Risk $100 to win $1000
91-100 points 20:1 +$2000 *Risk $100 to win $2000
101 or more points 30:1 +$3000 *Risk $100 to win $3000

*All wagers have action starting with the Lakers vs. Mavericks game on January 27th, 2006.

My square sides loves a $100 on 81-90, 91-100, and 101+. I likely won't bet, but still a cool offering.