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Kobe channels wilt, goes for 81 points
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-23 15:37

Kobe Bryant kept shooting, from all over the court and from every angle. By halftime, he had 26 points — not a bad tally for most players. By the end of the game, he had put up the second-highest total in NBA history.


Toronto Raptors' Matt Bonner can't stop Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant from getting to the basket in the first half of NBA basketball action on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006, in Los Angeles. [AP]

The Los Angeles Lakers' star scored a staggering 81 points Sunday night against the Toronto Raptors in a 122-104 win. Only Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game stands ahead of him.

"It just happened, man" Bryant said. "It really hasn't, like, set in for me. It's about the `W,' that's why I turned it on. It turned into something special.

"To sit here and say I grasp what happened, that would be lying. Not even in my dreams."

The NBA's leading scorer left to a standing ovation with 4.2 seconds remaining, having shot 28-of-46 from the floor, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range and 18-of-20 from the foul line.

With the fans at Staples Center chanting "MVP! MVP!" Bryant made two free throws with 43.4 seconds remaining for his final points. He scored 27 points in the third quarter, 28 in the fourth.

"It feels great to put on a great show here," he said.

Chamberlain scored 100 points for Philadelphia against the New York Knicks at Hershey, Pa., on March 2, 1962, making 36-of-63 from the field and 28-of-32 from the foul line while playing all 48 minutes.

Chamberlain had 59 points in the second half — the only player with more points in a half than Bryant's 55 after halftime in this game.

Chamberlain's second-highest total was 78 against the Lakers in three overtimes on Dec. 8, 1961.

Elgin Baylor held the previous franchise record of 71 points at New York on Nov. 15, 1960. Lakers assistant Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, saw that game, too.

"Elgin's game was an incredible performance, also. I don't think there's any comparison. Elgin did it without 3-point lines. His game was attacking the hoop and hitting jumpers inside 20 feet. Kobe's range is unreal, and he does it his way," Abdul-Jabbar said.

"It was a real treat. His ability to shoot from long range and also attack the hoop, split the defense and get in close for opportunities near the basket is unique. He's made a niche for himself and he deserves it."

Michael Jordan's career high was 69 points, and only four players had ever scored more than 70 — Chamberlain, Baylor, David Thompson and David Robinson.

The 27-year-old Bryant made it five. His previous career high was 62 points during a 112-90 victory over Dallas last month — he sat out the fourth quarter because of the one-sided nature of the game.

"I was just determined. I was just locked in, tuned into what was going on out there," Bryant said. "These points tonight mattered. We needed them. The points I put in the basket were instrumental. It means a lot more."
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