Ranking Kobe Bryant’s top 10 games against the Detroit Pistons
By Riley Nisbet
2. January 31, 2008
This game would come just months before the infamous trade that sent Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson, a trade routinely used to mark the end of the Detroit Pistons brief dynasty years.
Although the Pistons would win a game against the Los Angeles Lakers that they were probably expected to win, it did not come easily. The Pistons would eek out a one-point win, 90-89, despite the Lakers having just three players available off of the bench.
The majority of this challenge came at the prowess of Kobe Bryant, who, with a 41.1% usage rate, would score 39 of his team’s 89 points. In addition, Kobe would post 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.
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Once again, Kobe displayed his remarkable ability to score despite being the sole offensive threat. This performance also comes against the core of the Goin’-to-Work Pistons (Ben Wallace was in Chicago), and that defensive performance was on full display. Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess both had defensive ratings under 90 (86 and 88 respectively) and Hamilton had a defensive rating of 93.
However, to help elucidate how strong Kobe was this game, Prince, an efficient and lengthy defender in his own right, but who was responsible for guarding Kobe, finished the game with a defensive rating of 107.
Luckily for the Pistons, Kobe would also have 11 turnovers.