Ranking Kobe Bryant's top 10 games against the Detroit Pistons

Ranking Kobe Bryant’s top 10 games against the Detroit Pistons

AUBURN HILLS, MI - MARCH 6: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers removes his protective mask during a game against the Detroit Pistons on March 6, 2012 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by J. Dennis/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

9 of 11

(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3. March 4, 2006

The Los Angeles Lakers were on the second night of a back-to-back when the Detroit Pistons met them at Staples Center for the teams’ second match-up of the 2005-06 season.

On paper, the Pistons were the profoundly better team with a 43-10 record that was distantly better than the Lakers 30-29 record. Combined with the promise of tired legs that haunt the second end of a back-to-back, this seemed at the time like an easy win for the visiting Pistons.

Related Story. Pistons top 5 small forwards all-time. light

However, the Lakers were coming off a 12-point win against the Golden State Warriors behind 42 points from Kobe Bryant, and they had momentum. In the end, the Lakers would walk away with an easy 105-94 win.

The seemingly inexcusable loss could be tossed off as a defensive breakdown by the Pistons (all the Pistons starters finished with a defensive rating over 115), but that would be to discredit Kobe’s performance and work ethic.

The lack of recovery time and a 45% usage rate did not phase Kobe; he would notch his second consecutive 40-point outing, scoring 40 points exactly on 13-of-26 shooting.

Home/Pistons History