In yet another must-win game for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant delivered a heroic performance — 47 points in 48 minutes (on the second night of a back-to-back) for the 34-year old legend, setting a Rose Garden scoring record for a visiting opponent. The Lakers escaped Portland with a 113-106, inching ever closer to a Playoff spot. Per the LA Daily News: “He’s just determined to get us into the playoffs,’ Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said. ‘That’s what happens when you open your mouth and guarantee we’ll get in the playoffs. Now he’s got to do it.’ Bryant became the first player in NBA history to record 47 points, eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals in a game. He reached such a feat despite averaging 45.66 minutes in the past six games. ‘You don’t look for excuses,’ Bryant said. ‘You don’t wait for anybody else to try to make rotations. You do it yourself. By doing that, it sets an example for everybody else to do the same thing.’ But this was hardly the case of Bryant continuing of bailing out a team lacking offensive chemistry. He had a familiar teammate to rely on with Pau Gasol, who posted 23 points on 11 of 15 shooting in 39 minutes. Though Dwight Howard posted 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting, most of the play centered around Bryant and Gasol. ‘That’s been working for us really well,’ said Gasol, who’s averaged15.8 points on 54.7 percent shooting and nine rebounds in the previous five games. ‘We have to stick it with it especially down the stretch. It’s pretty unstoppable.'”
