NBA: Kobe Bryant’s best games against every team

28. Kobe v. Hawks, November 1, 2009

41 points (15-29 FG), 8 rebounds, 5 steals, 10-11 FT

This was the Lakers’ third game back as defending champions, having soundly beaten the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals. For the first time, Kobe Bryant entered an NBA regular season as the sole leader of a championship team, and the pressure to propel his team to a Finals victory was lessened.

It should be no surprise that Kobe did not rest on his laurels. Three games in, it became apparent that the Lakers were even better than before. Along with pouring in 41, Kobe’s intensity translated to his defense, where he recorded 5 steals and 5 defensive rebounds.

One reason this performance is placed here near the beginning of the list is that Kobe was overshadowed by a new teammate, Ron Artest. Kobe himself admitted as much.

From ESPN:

"“We picked up our intensity, and it all started with No. 37,” Bryant said of Artest. “He picked up the energy level defensively, and I told him the game was on him. I felt like the energy really changed the whole complexity of the game, and we all kind of rallied behind him.”"

Bryant’s tendency to antagonize his under-performing teammates is well-known; but, particularly later in his career, he would just as likely praise his valuable teammates. At the time Artest was one of the game’s premier defensive stoppers at the wing, and he shut down the Hawks’ Joe Johnson following a first quarter explosion. After dropping 18 in the first period, Johnson was limited to 9 points the rest of the way, allowing the Lakers to run away behind Kobe’s scoring.

[H/T: ESPN]

Next: #27