Kobe Bryant notched his seventh consecutive 30-point game, and the Lakers needed every one of them, including a pair of late buckets to squeak by Charlotte, 101-100.
The Lakers faced an 11-point deficit late in the third quarter when Bryant and co. engineered a 17-0 run that put them back in control.
But the Bobcats wouldn’t go away, tying the game at 97 with 1:30 left.
From there, Bryant took over by scoring on back-to-back possessions to hand the Lakers the lead for good. But it wasn’t without some drama, as Charlotte took three game-tying shots in the final seconds thanks to a platter of offensive rebounds.
Fortunately for L.A., none found their way through the hoop, and the purple and gold captured their third consecutive win.
Bryant finished with exactly 30 points — one-third of which came in the fourth quarter alone — by shooting 11-of-24, while also cobbling together seven assists and six rebounds.
The Bobcats led by as many as 18 points, but Bryant and Dwight Howard (16 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks) were able to bring them back down to earth.
Kobe performances on this day in history:
