On December 20, 2005, Kobe Bryant made history by becoming the first player in NBA history to single-handedly outscore an opponent through three quarters.
Kobe outscored the Dallas Mavericks 62-61 through three quarters and sat out the entire fourth quarter in a 112-90 win over the Mavs at the Staples Center.
He finished the game 18 of 31 from the field, four of 10 from downtown and 22 of 25 from the free throw line.
It was the second highest scoring output of his career, behind his 81 point game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006.
The Lakers boasted a nightmarish (sarcasm) starting lineup of Smush Parker, Kobe, Lamar Odom, Brian Cook and Chris Mihm. The Mamba had rough sledding for a couple years after pushing Shaq out of town until Pau Gasol was gifted to the Lakers during the 2007-08 season.
Kobe would lead the NBA with 35.6 points per game in that season and the Lakers would lose in seven games in the first round to the Phoenix Suns.
