The Los Angeles Lakers finally won a road game on Wednesday night, defeating the Utah Jazz 90-87 in overtime at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, thanks in large part to Kobe Bryant and his 40 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. The win was the fourth straight victory for the Lakers, who stand in first place in the Pacific Division at 8-4.
It also continued a recent scoring binge from Kobe, who overtook LeBron James for the NBA scoring lead. Bryant has a scoring average of 30.33 points in 12 games, compared to 29.0 points per game through 10 games for James. Bryant has delivered the top three individual scoring performances in the NBA this season in his last four games.
| Kobe Bryant Last Six Games | |||||
| Date | Opp | FG | FT | 3-Pt | Pts |
| Jan 3 | Houston | 14-29 | 7-9 | 2-7 | 37 |
| Jan 5 | at Portland | 13-24 | 4-5 | 0-4 | 30 |
| Jan 6 | Golden State | 13-28 | 12-14 | 1-3 | 39 |
| Jan 8 | Memphis | 11-22 | 3-6 | 1-5 | 26 |
| Jan 10 | Phoenix | 18-31 | 12-13 | 0-3 | 48 |
| Jan 11 | at Utah | 14-31 | 11-11 | 1-3 | 40 |
| Totals | 50.3% | 84.5% | 20.0% | 36.7 | |
Bryant has averaged 36.7 points per game in his last six contests, and has 109 career games of 40 points or more. The Lakers host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night at Staples Center.
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