One day after enduring one of his toughest shooting performances of the season, Kobe Bryant answered with a 40-point eruption that carried the Los Angeles Lakers to a 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors on April 1, 2012.
Bryant had missed his first 15 attempts and finished 3-for-21 in the previous game, but the second half of the back-to-back told a different story. From the opening tip, the Lakers star found his rhythm, scoring 13 points in the first quarter to help Los Angeles edge ahead 27-26.
Although Bryant added only four points in the second period, his impact resurfaced when the Warriors trimmed a 13-point deficit to a single point early in the fourth. Bryant, Pau Gasol and newly acquired guard Ramon Sessions responded with a 12-3 burst that rebuilt a comfortable cushion.
Golden State closed in again late, but Bryant halted the rally with a three-pointer just under two minutes from the final horn. The outburst marked his fifth 40-point effort of the 2011-12 campaign and the 112th of his career, a span in which the Lakers improved to 77-35.
Gasol supplied 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting, while Sessions hit 7 of 10 shots for 23 points. The Warriors placed six players in double figures, led by David Lee with 27. Klay Thompson finished with 18, Nate Robinson scored 17 and Richard Jefferson added 16 as Golden State dropped its fifth straight and 10th in 12 games.
Source: LakersNation.com
