That changed on Dec. 6, 2000, when Bryant and the Lakers faced off with Antawn Jamison and the Golden State Warriors. “Bryant vs. Jamison” might not scream “classic scoring duel” to anyone, but the two future Lakers teammates put on a shootout for the ages in Oakland.

Both players scored 51 points in what was the first 50-point game of Bryant’s career. While it was his first time reaching that plateau, Bryant’s full repertoire was showcased on that day in Lakers history.

The long jumpers with a hand in his face. The drives to the basket. The athleticism and impeccable footwork. Bryant used them all to ring up 51 points as Jamison showed off his arsenal of flip shots and layups to rack up 51 of his own.

December 6, 2000…. Antawn Jamison & Kobe Bryant each score 51 as the @Lakers visit the @Warriors! pic.twitter.com/1SbBztg4qB

— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2016

In addition to his scoring exploits, Bryant flirted with a triple-double in the game, grabbing seven rebounds and eight assists to go with his 50-piece. Meanwhile Jamison helped the Warriors come out on top by snaring 13 rebounds of his own.

Even aside from his stats though, Bryant did nearly everything he could to help the Lakers beat Golden State, logging 51 minutes in regulation and overtime before the team was upset by the Warriors.

Kobe Bryant put league on notice

While the Lakers didn’t come out on top, the rest of the league was still on notice about Bryant, who was not only showing that he was easily the league’s best second-fiddle while playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal, but also might just be the NBA’s second-best player overall.

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Throughout his storied NBA career, Kobe was greeted with a chorus of “boos” from his hometown Philadelphia crowd. In 2002, Kobe had another homecoming at the All-Star game in Philadelphia and won Most Valuable Player honors, but the “boos” continued to rain down from his hometown crowd.

Tuesday night will be different in Philadelphia. Since Kobe announced his retirement, he will almost certainly be greeted with cheers of appreciation on the road for the remainder of the season, especially on Tuesday night against the 76ers. It will be an emotional night for Kobe, but the Lakers will need to focus on not losing to the worst team in the NBA.

Frontcourt:

The 76ers present and future plans revolve around the 2015 No. 3 overall pick, Jahlil Okafor. Okafor was the favorite to be drafted with the No. 2 overall pick by the Lakers, but the team decided to draft D’Angelo Russell instead. Okafor has impressed his rookie season, averaging 18 points and eight rebounds, and is making a case to win the NBA Rookie of the Year. Okafor has a polished post game with his back to the basket, but is not a great defensive presence, so the Lakers need to attack the rim early and often.

Nerlens Noel starts alongside Okafor at power forward and has the length to alter shots in the paint. Noel is not nearly the scoring threat that Okafor is down low, but he is an active big man who can keep plays alive with his hustle. Noel sat out in the 76ers last game and is questionable to return against the Lakers.

Backcourt:

The 76ers have plenty of hope that their frontcourt prospects can develop into solid NBA players someday, but their backcourt is not as promising. The Lakers young backcourt should have their way against the weak 76ers backcourt.

Rookie T.J. McConnell is the starting point guard for the 76ers. He has had some growing pains like the rest of the team, and has only averaged seven points and six assists per game. Starting alongside McConnell is Nik Stauskas, who is also a rookie who has had his struggles this season. D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson need to be aggressive and make the 76ers miserable all night.

Keys to Victory:

Limit Okafor: Jahlil Okafor will have a lot to prove to the Lakers tonight after they passed on him in favor of D’Angelo Russell. This will be a statement game for Okafor, so expect him to be aggressive with the ball in the post. Last week, Okafor shined in what was a statement game against No. 1 overall pick, Karl Antony-Towns, and he will look to do the same against the Lakers.

Show Up: The 76ers have been a bottom-feeder in the NBA for several years now, and this season, they have a chance to set the record for the worst start in NBA history with a loss against the Lakers. Of course, it will take a little more for the Lakers to get a win in Philadelphia, but if the team shows up in one piece, they will likely earn their third win of the season.

Get Kobe Going Early: Kobe’s adrenaline will be pumping a little more than usual in his final homecoming, so the Lakers should look to get him involved early in the offense. Coach Byron Scott needs to find ways to get Kobe the ball in a good position for him to score and go to that often. Kobe wants to have a big night and basketball fans around the world would love to see him have a successful homecoming.

Los Angeles Lakers (2-14) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (0-18)
4:00 PM PST, December 1, 2015
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: TWC SportsNet
Radio: 710 ESPN (English) / 1330 (Spanish)

Trail Blazers Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: T.J. McConnell
SG: Nik Stauskas
SF: Jerami Grant
PF: Jahlil Okafor
C: Nerlens Noel

Key Reserves: PG: Isaiah Canaan, SG: JaKarr Sampson, PF: Carl Landry

Lakers Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Jordan Clarkson
SF: Kobe Bryant
PF: Julius Randle
C: Roy Hibbert

Key Reserves: SG: Lou Williams, SF: Nick Young, PF: Larry Nance Jr.

Kobe Bryant will play tonight despite logging over 34 minutes last night in Portland. It is yet to be determined if Lou Williams will rejoin the team after he missed last night’s game because of a death in the family. The Pacers have the second best record in the Eastern Conference and are only two games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for first place. The Lakers have their work cut out for them, as they will play one of the NBA’s elite teams.

Frontcourt:

Paul George has become the face of the Pacers over the last few years. George is a rising star in the NBA and is still looking to regain form after a serious injury during the USA Basketball Showcase in August of 2014. The fifth-year veteran out of Fresno State is having a career year, averaging 26 points and eight rebounds. George is a threat whenever he is on the basketball court. He can create scoring opportunities for himself and will also find a way to slash to the basket when he does not have the ball.

Starting alongside George is the three-point specialist, C.J. Miles. Miles and George made 15 of the Pacers 19 three-pointers on Tuesday, which is a new franchise record for three-pointers made in a single game. The Lakers need to make sure they close out on the hot shooting frontcourt and make sure they do not get hot from beyond the arc.

Backcourt:

The Pacers have a dynamic scoring backcourt that features Monta Ellis at shooting guard. Ellis has made his name in the NBA by being able to score in a variety of ways. Jordan Clarkson will have his hands full on defense, as he tries to track Ellis all night. It will have to be a group effort defensively, and everyone needs to communicate and rotate quickly.

D’Angelo Russell will be matched up with George Hill. Hill is a savvy veteran point guard who can also score the ball rather easily. He has had a hot start shooting the three ball this season, making 43 percent of his attempts thus far. This is another player that the Lakers cannot lose track of, because he can have a significant impact on the game.

Keys To Victory:

Establish Tempo: The Lakers are going to have to score efficiently against the Pacers if they want to win the game.  When the Lakers are in charge of the pace of the game, they usually keep it competitive for most of the game. The Lakers are going to have to score a lot of points to match the Pacers and their high-powered offense.

Team Basketball: The Lakers are a much better team when they move the ball on offense and find the open man. They struggle when one player has the ball in their hands and everyone else stands around and watches.

Defensive Rotations: The Pacers have plenty of offensive weapons and anybody is a threat with the basketball. The Lakers must communicate with each other and play defense on a string.  If they limit penetration in the paint, the Lakers will have a much easier time rotating properly.

Los Angeles Lakers (2-13) vs. Indiana Pacers (10-5)

6:30 PM PST, November 29, 2015
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
TV: TWC SportsNet
Radio: 710 ESPN (English) / 1330 (Spanish)

Pacers Projected Starting Lineup:

PG: George Hill
SG: Monta Ellis
SF: C.J. Miles
PF: Paul George
C: Ian Mahinmi

Key Reserves: PF: Jordan Hill, C: Myles Turner, SF: Chase Budinger

Lakers Projected Starting Lineup:

PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Jordan Clarkson
SF: Kobe Bryant
PF: Julius Randle
C: Roy Hibbert

Key Reserves: PF: Brandon Bass, SF: Nick Young, PF: Larry Nance Jr.

The Lakers will be without their key reserve, Lou Williams, who is with his family after the death of his grandfather. Coach Byron Scott says he expects Nick Young to get the majority of William’s minutes in his absence. The Lakers need a victory tonight to lift their spirits after an embarrassing loss to the defending champion Golden State Warriors earlier this week.

First Quarter:

The Blazers won the tip, but Lillard turned the ball over and Julius Randle finished the break with a dunk. After McCollum tied the game up, Roy Hibbert made a difficult hookshot over the outstretched arms of Mason Plumlee. Kobe Bryant was greeted by a series of boos every time he caught the ball, but he assisted a Randle field goal in the paint. McCollum continued his extremely hot shooting, as he scored the Blazer’s first nine points without a miss. Noah Vonleh picked Clarkson’s pocket clean and finished on the other end, putting the Blazers up 14-6 with 7:49 left in the first – timeout Lakers. The Lakers executed out of the timeout, and Clarkson found Randle for the elbow jumper. Al-Farouq Aminu drew the second foul on Randle, and he would sit the remaining 6:24 of the quarter with the Lakers down 17-8. Kobe finally found the bottom of the net on his fourth attempt, but McCollum quickly matched him on the other end. The Lakers got caught watching the ball on defense, and left Lillard open for three, putting the Blazers up by 13 with 3:30 left in the quarter. After another timeout, the Lakers switched to a 2-3 zone and Lillard made them pay by draining another three. Metta World Peace temporarily stopped the bleeding when he made a contested shot in the paint over Meyers Leonard. On the Lakers final possession of the quarter, Clarkson nailed a pull up jumper, and at the end of one the Lakers trailed 21-34.

Second Quarter:

Kobe checked back into the game and immediately drew a shooting foul on McCollum then proceeded to make his two free throws. Allen Crabbe came off of a screen and made the Blazer’s fifth three-pointer of the game and the Lakers trailed by 12 with 9:43 remaining in the half. Kobe maneuvered through the paint with Gerald Henderson on his back and made a five-foot pullup jumper to cut the Lakers deficit to 10 points. Maurice Harkless tried to jam on Hibbert in transition, but Hibbert was charged with a flagrant foul. Harkless made one of his two free throws and then McCollum converted a floater in the lane to put the Blazers back up by 13 points. The Lakers continued to ignore shooters on the perimeter, and left Leonard open for another three-pointer. Clarkson scored five straight points and the Lakers trailed by 10 with 3:29 in the half. The next Lakers possession Randle made another elbow jumper, and Hibbert was fouled off the ball and proceeded to make his free throw. Kobe made a difficult floater in the lane and immediately went down to the floor after apparently getting the wind knocked out of him by Ed Davis. Lakers Nation breathed a sigh of relief when Kobe returned to the floor after the timeout. The Blazers ended the half on a 10-2 run and the Lakers trailed 46-60 at halftime.

Third Quarter:

On the first possession of the half, the Lakers swung the ball around the perimeter and Kobe nailed a three-pointer, but Lillard made a three of his own. Clarkson penetrated into the lane and passed it to Russell who stepped into a three-pointer. On the next possession Russell returned the favor to Clarkson, who stepped into a three of his own, cutting the Lakers deficit to eight points. The Lakers run was short-lived because they left Lillard open in the corner for three-pointer; and on the very next possession Lillard found Plumlee for the alley-oop. Kobe came off of a down screen and made a jumper to give him 19 points in the game. On the next Blazers possession, Randle blocked McCollum at the rim, sparking a fast break and Clarkson finished in traffic. With the Lakers inching closer, Lillard used his strength to drive past Brandon Bass and scored in the lane to put the Blazers back up by nine points with 3:47 left in the third. After a timeout, Larry Nance Jr. made a floater in the lane, drew the foul on Lillard, and converted the three-point play. The Blazers made two free throws on the other end, but Russell came back and made an aggressive move and scored from the elbow. After Russell’s jumper, the Blazers scored eight straight points to give them a 14 point advantage. Nick Young stopped the bleeding and made two three-pointers, including one at the buzzer, to cut the Lakers deficit to 76-84 at the end of the third.

Fourth Quarter:

The Lakers started the quarter well with a steal that led to a pair of free throws for Bass to cut the lead to six. Portland would quickly push the lead back to double digits with a 6-0 run capped off by a jumper from McCollum to put the Blazers ahead 90-78. The Lakers continued to fight as jumpers from Kobe and Bass were followed by a steal and layup for Clarkson. A defensive mishap allowed for an easy Blazers dunk, however, and kept the Lakers behind by 11. Russell hit a three to bring the Lakers within single digits, but McCollum continued to torch them on the other end as the lead remained 12 midway through the quarter. Back-to-back baskets by Randle got the Lakers within eight, but Lillard responded with a floater to keep Portland ahead comfortably. Randle got a tough shot to fall, but McCollum hit one more three to basically ice the game and put Portland ahead 11 with only two minutes remaining. Lillard would put the nail in the coffin with the floater and the foul to give Portland a 14 point lead with 1:30 left. One last layup from Russell would provide the final score as the Lakers fell 108-96.

The Lakers have lost four straight games, one of which came to the Trail Blazers on Sunday. In the previous matchup, the Lakers did not have an answer for Damian Lillard, who lit them up for 30 points and had a career-high 13 assists. Lillard and the Blazers controlled the pace from the start, and the Lakers had to play catch-up for the rest of the game. The Lakers made it relatively competitive in the second half, but ultimately gave the game away in the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Backcourt:

Damian Lillard caused major problems for the Lakers and was a key contributor for the Blazers on Sunday. There was no stopping Lillard, as he took over the game and had a career night. He started the game extremely hot from beyond the arc, so the Lakers need to make their best effort to keep the ball out of his hands.

Alongside Lillard in the backcourt is C.J. McCollum, who gave the Lakers issues himself on the offensive end. McCollum scored 19 points of his own and also dished out five assists in the last matchup with the Lakers. Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell have their hands full yet again to try to limit this dynamic duo from taking control of the basketball game.

Frontcourt:

One player who the Lakers need to keep track of tonight is Mason Plumlee. Plumlee is not a player that teams usually adjust their game plan for, but after he scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against them on Sunday, the Lakers will pay close attention to the big man.

Al Farouq-Aminu also contributed in the Blazers victory over the Lakers, scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds of his own. His work on the defensive end created many scoring opportunities for the Blazers in transition.

Keys to Victory:

Limit Lillard: It is much easier said than done, but the Lakers need to do anything they can to keep Lillard from taking over the game. In the first matchup, Lillard started the game with a wide-open three-pointer and that gave him a rhythm for the rest of the game. The Lakers can play much better defense and when he gets rid of the ball, they need to keep it out of his hands.

Trust Each Another: The Lakers have struggled all season to find an identity and have yet to build trust with one another. This has been apparent in just about every game when they turn the ball over and fail to rotate defensively. The veterans of this team need to help the young core establish an identity, so the team can finally trust each other and win some basketball games.

Back to Basics: The Lakers need a refresher on some of the basic basketball fundamentals: boxing out, talking on defense, ball movement, and shot selection. This team has been an offensive rebounder’s dream to go against, and hustle players have torn the Lakers apart by creating second chances for their team. The ball sticks in one player’s hands too often on offense, and when that happens there is very little movement off the ball. This in turn leads to poor shot selection. Coach Byron Scott needs to focus on making sure the Lakers are not forgetting to do fundamental things on the court.

Los Angeles Lakers (2-12) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (6-10)
7:00 PM PST, November 28, 2015
Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
TV: TWC SportsNet
Radio: 710 ESPN (English) / 1330 (Spanish)

Trail Blazers Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Damian Lillard
SG: C.J. McCollum
SF: Al-Farouq Aminu
PF: Noah Vonleh
C: Mason Plumlee

Key Reserves: PF: Ed Davis, C: Chris Kaman, PF: Meyers Leonard

Lakers Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Jordan Clarkson
SF: Kobe Bryant
PF: Julius Randle
C: Roy Hibbert

Key Reserves: SG: Lou Williams, SF: Nick Young, PF: Larry Nance Jr.