After a poor start to the 2002-03 season, the Los Angeles Lakers started to regain their mojo in January and February.
They built two extended winning streaks during that span and finally climbed above .500 just in time for the All-Star break.
But after back-to-back losses, the Lakers were again badly in need of a win on Feb. 18 when they hosted the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets had a much-heralded rookie center named Yao Ming, but Kobe Bryant made sure he would steal the show.
He scored 14 points in the first quarter to give Los Angeles a 25-16 lead, and once the contest went into extra periods, he took his play to another level.
Bryant scored a combined 17 points in the first and second overtimes as the Lakers outlasted Houston, 106-99.
They needed every bit of Bryant’s 52 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots because Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t able to play. The superstar guard did all that despite a sore knee he claimed was bothering him a considerable amount.
The highlight of the contest was his baseline dunk over Ming (at the 4:03 mark of the video), which became one of the better jams of his career.
