Kobe's Historic 81-Point Night
On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant authored one of the most famous
box scores in NBA history. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar scored
81 points in a 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Staples
Center, producing one of the greatest individual scoring
performances the league has ever seen.
Bryant made 28 of 46 field-goal attempts, including 7 of 13
three-pointers, and converted 18 of his 20 free throws. He also
finished with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot
while playing just under 42 minutes.
The final total was extraordinary, but the circumstances made the
performance even more remarkable. Toronto led 63-49 at halftime
and eventually stretched its advantage to 18 points early in the
third quarter. Bryant responded by taking over the game.
He scored 27 points in the third quarter and another 28 in the
fourth, giving him 55 points in the second half alone. Los Angeles
outscored Toronto 42-22 in the third quarter and 31-19 in the
fourth to turn what appeared to be a comfortable Raptors victory
into an 18-point Lakers win.
At the time, Bryant's 81 points ranked second on the NBA's
single-game scoring list behind Wilt Chamberlain's legendary
100-point performance for the Philadelphia Warriors against the
New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
Game Information
| Date |
Matchup |
Location |
Final Score |
Attendance |
| January 22, 2006 |
Toronto Raptors at Los Angeles Lakers |
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California |
Los Angeles 122, Toronto 104 |
18,997 |
Kobe Bryant — 81 Points
| MIN |
FG |
FG% |
3PT |
3PT% |
FT |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
PTS |
| 41:56 |
28-46 |
.609 |
7-13 |
.538 |
18-20 |
.900 |
6 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
81 |
Kobe's Scoring by Quarter
| Quarter |
Points |
| 1st Quarter |
14 |
| 2nd Quarter |
12 |
| 3rd Quarter |
27 |
| 4th Quarter |
28 |
| Total |
81 |
First half: 26 points
Second half: 55 points
Final 24 minutes: 27-of-? No — the defining number was
55 points, more than half of Toronto's entire game total.
Toronto Raptors Box Score
| Player |
MIN |
FG |
3PT |
FT |
OREB |
REB |
AST |
TO |
STL |
BLK |
PF |
PTS |
| Chris Bosh |
43 |
7-15 |
0-0 |
4-4 |
0 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
18 |
| Morris Peterson |
27 |
2-5 |
1-3 |
2-2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
7 |
| Matt Bonner |
26 |
5-12 |
2-6 |
0-0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
12 |
| Mike James |
37 |
10-15 |
6-8 |
0-2 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
26 |
| Jalen Rose |
42 |
3-11 |
0-2 |
11-12 |
0 |
5 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
17 |
| Jose Calderon |
5 |
1-4 |
0-0 |
2-2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
| Pape Sow |
10 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
2-3 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| Joey Graham |
14 |
1-2 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
| Charlie Villanueva |
19 |
6-10 |
0-0 |
1-2 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
13 |
| Eric Williams |
5 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Rafael Araujo |
DNP — Coach's Decision |
| Darrick Martin |
DNP — Coach's Decision |
| Loren Woods |
DNP — Coach's Decision |
| Team Totals |
240 |
36-76 |
10-20 |
22-27 |
4 |
31 |
20 |
15 |
6 |
5 |
27 |
104 |
Toronto shooting: 47.4% FG, 50.0% 3PT,
81.5% FT.
Los Angeles Lakers Box Score
| Player |
MIN |
FG |
3PT |
FT |
OREB |
REB |
AST |
TO |
STL |
BLK |
PF |
PTS |
| Kwame Brown |
32 |
1-5 |
0-0 |
1-2 |
4 |
10 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
| Lamar Odom |
43 |
1-7 |
1-2 |
5-6 |
0 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
8 |
| Chris Mihm |
30 |
5-8 |
0-0 |
2-3 |
5 |
8 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
12 |
| Smush Parker |
35 |
5-11 |
1-5 |
2-2 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
13 |
| Kobe Bryant |
42 |
28-46 |
7-13 |
18-20 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
81 |
| Sasha Vujacic |
14 |
1-5 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
| Luke Walton |
14 |
0-1 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| Brian Cook |
8 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Devean George |
22 |
0-4 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
| Andrew Bynum |
DNP — Coach's Decision |
| Aaron McKie |
DNP — Coach's Decision |
| Slava Medvedenko |
DNP — Coach's Decision |
| Ronny Turiaf |
DNP — Coach's Decision |
| Von Wafer |
DNP — Coach's Decision |
| Team Totals |
240 |
42-88 |
10-23 |
28-33 |
18 |
51 |
18 |
14 |
9 |
9 |
23 |
122 |
Los Angeles shooting: 47.7% FG, 43.5% 3PT,
84.8% FT.
Scoring by Quarter
| Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
| Toronto Raptors |
36 |
27 |
22 |
19 |
104 |
| Los Angeles Lakers |
29 |
20 |
42 |
31 |
122 |
The Comeback
Toronto controlled the first half. The Raptors scored 36 points
in the opening quarter and took a 63-49 advantage into halftime.
Their lead eventually reached 18 points during the third quarter.
Then Bryant completely changed the game. His 27-point third
quarter helped Los Angeles erupt for 42 points in the period.
By the end of the third, the Lakers had transformed a 14-point
halftime deficit into a 91-85 lead.
Bryant continued attacking in the fourth quarter and scored
another 28 points. His final two points came on a pair of free
throws with 43.4 seconds remaining, pushing his total to 81.
He left the floor with 4.2 seconds remaining to a standing
ovation from the Staples Center crowd.
81 of 122
Bryant accounted for 81 of the Lakers' 122 points, meaning he
personally scored approximately 66.4 percent of Los Angeles'
entire offensive output.
The contrast with his teammates was extraordinary. Smush Parker
was the Lakers' second-leading scorer with 13 points, followed
by Chris Mihm with 12. No other Los Angeles player reached
double figures.
Bryant's 81 points were also only 23 fewer than the entire
Toronto roster, which scored 104. Mike James led the Raptors
with 26 points and 10 assists, while Chris Bosh scored 18 and
Jalen Rose added 17.
Historical Significance
Bryant's 81-point performance immediately became one of the
signature games in NBA history. At the time, only Wilt
Chamberlain's 100-point game had produced a higher individual
scoring total in an NBA game.
The performance also shattered the Lakers' franchise scoring
record. Elgin Baylor had held the mark with 71 points against
the New York Knicks on November 15, 1960.
Just one month earlier, Bryant had scored 62 points against
the Dallas Mavericks while sitting out the entire fourth
quarter. Against Toronto, he remained in the game and pushed
his scoring explosion into territory almost never seen in
professional basketball.
Bryant eventually finished the 2005-06 season as the NBA's
leading scorer at 35.4 points per game. The 81-point game
became the defining performance of that scoring title season
and one of the most recognizable individual achievements of
his career.
Game Details
Date: January 22, 2006
Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Final Score: Los Angeles Lakers 122, Toronto Raptors 104
Attendance: 18,997
Kobe Bryant: 81 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists,
3 steals and 1 block in 41:56.
Shooting: 28-of-46 FG, 7-of-13 3PT,
18-of-20 FT.
Scoring by quarter: 14, 12, 27, 28.
First half: 26 points.
Second half: 55 points.
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