5 Craziest stat lines in the modern NBA

#1 Kobe Bryant's 81 Point Game

January 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors: 81 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 3 Steals.

Kobe Bryant looking up at the scoreboard in the final seconds of his 81-point performance

Kobe Bryant scored an astounding 81 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 122-104 victory against the Toronto Raptors. The Lakers made a comeback victory at home, led by Kobe, on 28-46 shooting, including 7-13 from beyond the arc, and 18-20 from the free throw line.

In a season where Bryant led the league in scoring with 35.4 PPG, he torched the Toronto Raptors with 81 points. With the Lakers trailing by 18 points in the third quarter, Kobe went on a shooting clinic, scoring 54 points in the second half. Kobe was solely responsible for all but 18 points that the Lakers made in the second half.

Kobe's 81 points mark the second-most points ever scored in a single game, trailing Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points back in the 60's. Previously in the season, Kobe scored 62 points in three quarters against the Mavericks. With the outcome already sealed, the Lakers decided that he should sit out the fourth. This time, trailing by 13, he decided to play the entire game, and scored 81.

Bryant, known for his ability to shoot contested jumpers, used this to his finest. In the second half, repeatedly, he got the ball, drove it up the court, took a shot that seemed impossible, and sunk it. The shots Kobe took that night were the shots that the defense wanted him to take, shots that any coach would consider bad shots. But Kobe made them, shooting 61% overall.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet. I wanted to step up and help win this game, and it turned into something special", said Kobe to reporters after the game. "I was locked in, determined, tuned in to what was going on out there. Not even in my dreams. It's just something that happened. It's tough to explain. I wanted to keep riding the wave."