NBA
The 15 Best Single-Game NBA Regular Season Performances Since 1983
2. Kobe Bryant, 1/22/2006
We've already seen Kobe, but this is the Kobe game. In his prime and up against the Toronto Raptors at the Staples Center, Bryant exploded for 81 points in a 122-104 L.A. victory.
If you think it was all about chucking up shots, too, you're wrong. Kobe was 28 for 46 from the field and an efficient 7 of 13 from three. When he could be corralled (if you want to call it that), he was often fouled, which resulted in 18 of 20 from the line and an overall true shooting percentage of 73.9%.
Again, he scored 81 points in just under 42 minutes. He used 56.8% of available possessions and turned that into 158 points per 100 possessions. To boot, Bryant threw in 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals for a worthy Game Score of 63.5.