No matter what defenses threw at him, there was no stopping Kobe Bryant during a run of scoring that hadn’t been seen in more than 41 years.
Bryant dropped 45 points in the Lakers’ 96-90 win over Indiana, becoming the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 to hit that number in four consecutive games.
“The guy’s at the top of his game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told the media. “We’re witnessing true greatness. It’s a rare opportunity see a guy perform at this level.”
Los Angeles and Indiana were tied at 85 with two minutes left when Bryant and Lamar Odom decided to take over.
Bryant hit a layup, which was followed by an Odom 3-pointers. The duo traded free throws the rest of the way to ice L.A.’s third straight win.
Bryant scored 17 of his points in the fourth quarter alone, while shooting 14-of-32 overall, plus 15-of-21 on free throws.
Odom added 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Bryant recorded a double-double with 10 boards of his own.
Team defense also helped the Lakers’ cause, as the Pacers shot just 37.3 percent, despite a 24-point, 16-rebound effort from Jermaine O’Neal.
Kobe performances on this day in history:
A video posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Jan 9, 2016 at 8:58am PST
A video posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Jan 9, 2016 at 8:58am PST
