Down the stretch of the 2012-13 season, the Los Angeles Lakers had to rev up the RPMs close to the red line just to give themselves a real shot at making the NBA playoffs.
A season in which seemingly every rotation player had gotten injured reduced the team to such a situation, and it took its toll on an aging Kobe Bryant.
Many parts of his body were hurt and aching, but he gave it all he had, to the point of playing almost every minute of every game in the waning days of the schedule.
On April 10, the Lakers traveled north to take on the Portland Trail Blazers, who had a rookie star named Damian Lillard.
Lillard went off for 38 points and nine assists, but Bryant controlled the entire contest with 47 points on 14-of-27 shooting overall and 18-of-18 from the free throw line, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and four blocked shots.
The Lakers rarely won regular season games in Portland over the years, but on this night, they overcame a 10-point first-quarter deficit to win, 113-106.
Many considered it Bryant’s last great all-around outing, as he tore his Achilles just two days later versus the Golden State Warriors.
