Kobe Bryant scored 42 points on 14-21 field goal shooting, passed for a game-high 12 assists and grabbed seven rebounds as the L.A. Lakers overcame a 25 point deficit to beat the New Orleans Hornets 108-102 on Wednesday night. Bryant scored 25 points in the second half, including 13 during the Lakers' 20-0 run in the game's final 6:22. The last 34 year old player who amassed a stat line of 42-12-7 is Larry Bird, who had 49 points, 12 assists and 14 rebounds on March 15, 1992 as his Boston Celtics defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 152-148 in double overtime. Bird shot 19-35 from the field.
There have only been eight 42-12-7 performances since 1985-86; the most recent player to achieve this feat was LeBron James (43 points, 15 assists, 13 rebounds on February 18, 2010 in Cleveland's 118-116 loss to Denver). Bird is the only player who had two 42-12-7 games in that time span, while LeBron James and Michael Jordan are the only two players whose teams lost despite their 42-12-7 stat lines. Michael Adams and Kenny Anderson are the two outliers on this list; the other players (Bird, Bryant, James, Jordan and Tracy McGrady) are all perennial All-Stars.
Bryant has scored 40 or more points in 118 regular season games, third on the all-time list behind Wilt Chamberlain (271) and Michael Jordan (173). The Lakers are 79-39 in those games, a .669 winning percentage that is equivalent to a 55-27 record in an 82 game season; someone should point this stat out to Mike Wilbon and Jon Barry.
Bryant Posts Rare Stat Line in Big Comeback Win
