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Could Anyone Match Kobe Bryant’s 81 Points Today?

By Carter Johnson

January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves to the crowd before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves to the crowd before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 23, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) moves to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) during the 2nd quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) moves to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) during the 2nd quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

Kevin Durant

The Durantula is another player who seems to score very effortlessly and efficiently.

Durant is once again on the verge of averaging a 50/40/90 shooting average split with averages of .507/.390/.889 through 38 games. He’s also quite capable of stuffing the scoring column, as evidenced by his career high 54 point performance against the Warriors two years ago.

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Austin Reaves has eerily similar year two numbers with this Lakers legend
Austin Reaves has eerily similar year two numbers with this Lakers legend /

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    • However, like Curry, a teammate poses a monumental obstacle to Durant’s ability to drop 81.

    That teammate is Russell Westbrook.

    Westbrook is an explosive and electric scorer in his own right and has turned into a superstar following an MVP-caliber season last year where he won the scoring title with 28.1 points a game in addition to 8.6 assists per game and 7.3 boards a game. While his scoring has come down to a modest 23.9 points per game this season, his all-around numbers are up as he’s averaging near 10 assists a game (9.8) along with 7.1 boards a night.

    These numbers are an accurate reflection of a player who’s not only one of the league’s premier scoring threats, but is also the closest thing to Oscar Robertson we’ve seen in a while.

    Westbrook can go off for 40+ one night and give you 20, 10 and 10 the next. Some nights, he can do both.

    Although new head coach Billy Donovan has figured out how to make the two supernovas coexist and thrive doing so, Westbrook’s dominance and need for the ball makes it difficult for Durant to fully dominate the scoring column, let alone drop 80+.

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