At the age of 28, Kobe Bryant was at the very backend of his 11th NBA regular season. He and his Los Angeles Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers in a crucial game in March, with the Lakers just a full game above .500.
On another night, the 26-39 Blazers might have bested their Western Conference foes. But, this night, they were no match, as Bryant poured in a season-best 65 points on 23 of 39 from the line and 8 of 12 from three. He also converted on 11 of 12 from the line for what amounted to a true shooting percentage of 73.4%. Bryant didn't just stick to shooting, though.
Kobe also handed out three assists, committed three thefts and gathered seven boards in over 49 minutes of floor time. He and the Lakers proved too much in overtime and defeated the Blazers by a five-spot. As for Kobe, he totaled a Game Score of 50.9, the second-best of his storied NBA career.