Los Angeles Lakers: Top 8 Kobe Bryant moments
By Jason Elbaum
8. Scoring 61 points at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 3, 2009
Los Angeles was coming off of a season where they had lost to the Boston Celtics’ “Big Three” in the 2008 NBA Finals in six games, and the team started the 2008-09 season with something to prove. The Lakers would roll into Madison Square Garden sitting at 37-9 but without their star center Andrew Bynum, who was dealing with a knee injury.
Kobe Bryant would do a whole lot more than pick up the slack as he scored 61 points that night to lead the Lakers to a 126-117 win. This was the highest scoring game at MSG until Carmelo Anthony scored 62 in January of 2014.
The home of the New York Knicks is often referred to as the “Mecca of basketball,” so the game’s superstars tend to show out on this huge stage. Kobe Bryant added his name to the list of great players to go off at MSG, as he shot 19-for-31 from the field and hit all 20 of his free throws he attempted.
After the game, Kobe admitted to having a desire to go for a huge game at MSG, per the San Diego Union-Tribune:
"“I’m going to review this documentary I’m doing with Spike Lee tonight after the game and I didn’t feel like sitting next to him and hearing him talking trash about the Knicks, so that was added incentive as well. Seriously. He’s going to get an earful tonight.”"