In the midst of a seven-game winning streak, the Lakers were nearing the end of a six-game East Coast road trip. On Feb. 22, 2000, they looked to extend their dominating run with a matchup against the underperforming New Jersey Nets.

After a tightly-contested first quarter, Los Angeles boasted a lead of just two points, but that margin would quickly increase to 11 in the second quarter, and the Lakers entered halftime with a nice advantage.

The Nets came out firing in the third quarter and scored 31 against a tough Lakers defense — trimming their deficit to nine points with 12 minutes to play. But Los Angeles would hold their own and managed to pull off an eighth consecutive victory by a final score of 97-89.

Leading the way for the Lakers was Shaquille O’Neal, who posted another double-double behind 35 points and 13 rebounds in 43 minutes. On the defensive end, he recorded three blocks and only committed two turnovers on the night.

Kobe Bryant scored 21 of his own points while sinking nine of his 20 field goal attempts. Glen Rice was the only other Lakers player to reach double-figures in scoring with 15 points.

The Nets stayed competitive for most of the contest because of All-Star guard Stephen Marbury, who dropped a team-high 33 points in 46 minutes. He successfully converted 11 of his 21 shots.

Kendall Gill scored 18 points while Keith Van Horn was responsible for 10. The two additionally combined for 19 rebounds, five assists, and collectively made eight of their nine free throw attempts.

Lakers would go on to win 19 straight

For the Lakers, they improved to a league-best 42-11 after the win. Furthermore, it was the eighth victory of what would be a 19-game winning streak.

Meanwhile, the Nets continued to trend in the other direction and fell to just 21-32 on the year.

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On Feb. 17, 2008, the Lakers looked to get back into the win column with a challenging home matchup against one of the better Eastern Conference contenders in the Atlanta Hawks.

After one quarter, the Lakers found themselves trailing by a point. But the group would bounce back in the ensuing quarter and outscore the Hawks by 10 points — entering halftime with a nine-point cushion.

The Lakers’ scoring attack would get the best of the Hawks in the third quarter. They dropped 40 points and extended their lead to 25 entering the final 12 minutes of play.

With a big lead, Los Angeles rested most of their starters in the fourth quarter. While Atlanta would chip away at the deficit, the Lakers still came out victorious by a final score of 96-83.

Pau Gasol stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in 31 minutes of playing time. In addition to his triple-double, Gasol sported a game-high +24 plus-minus on the night and didn’t commit a turnover.

Lamar Odom completed the Lakers’ offense with 15 points and 20 rebounds in nearly 34 minutes. He added two steals and two blocks on the defensive end, and converted six of his 11 field goal attempts.

Leading the way for the Hawks was Joe Johnson, who scored a team-high 14 points in 30 minutes. Like most of his teammates, he struggled with his shot and sunk just six of his 17 opportunities.

Marvin Williams added 13 of his own points, while Josh Smith contributed 10. Otherwise, the rest of the Hawks’ unit didn’t reach double-digits in scoring.

Lakers went on win streak

For the Lakers, the victory would be their first of six in a row. They improved to a Western Conference-best 43-10 on the year while the Hawks fell to 31-22 after the loss.

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Before his rise to superstardom with the Lakers, Bryant starred at nearby Lower Merion High School, where he garnered national attention for his play as a teenager. On Feb. 10, 2002, the five-time NBA champion would once again have the opportunity to showcase his talents in the City of Brotherly Love.

Starting for the Western Conference alongside Bryant were San Antonio Spurs big man Tim Duncan, Minnesota Twins forward Kevin Garnett, the Sacramento Kings’ Chris Webber and Houston Rockets’ Steve Francis.

Rounding out the team off the bench featured the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Gary Payton, Elton Brand, Peja Stojakovic and Wally Szczerbiak.

The Eastern Conference countered with a starting lineup that consisted of hometown 76ers point guard Allen Iverson and center Dikembe Mutombo, Michael Jordan, Jason Kidd and Antoine Walker.

Complementing the team as reserves were Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jermaine O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Baron Davis.

Bryant went on to score a game-high 31 points, adding five rebounds and five assists over 30 minutes of action. He shot 12-of-25 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and additionally sunk all seven of his free throws.

That effort earned Bryant MVP honors, as the Western Conference went on to win by a final score of 135-120. What’s more, Bryant became the first player to score at least 30 points in an All-Star Game since Michael Jordan achieved the feat in 1993.

Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was booed by 76ers fans

One downside for Bryant was the showering of boos he received throughout the contest, as a result of 76ers fans still expressing disappointment over the Lakers’ 2001 NBA Championship victory.

The future Hall-of-Famer admitted afterwards that the boos upset him, but he ultimately used them as motivation to put on a show for his family, friends and fans in attendance.

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On Feb. 8, 1998, the then-19-year-old became the youngest starter in NBA history to play in an All-Star Game, breaking Lakers legend Magic Johnson’s record.

The game was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Bryant suited up for a stacked Western Conference team that trotted out a starting lineup consisting of fellow Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal, Seattle Sonics guard Gary Payton, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett and Utah Jazz center Karl Malone.

Two additional Lakers players were included on the roster in Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel, who logged 25 minutes and 20 minutes, respectively, off the bench. Also selected to the Western Conference team as reserves were David Robinson, Vin Baker, Jason Kidd, Mitch Richmond and Tim Duncan.

The Eastern Conference countered with a starting lineup of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, the Detroit Pistons’ Grant Hill, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Shawn Kemp, Atlanta Hawks’ Dikembe Mutombo and Orlando Magic’s Penny Hardaway.

On the bench were a pair of Indiana Pacers in Rik Smits and Reggie Miller. Joining them were Jayson Williams, Tim Hardaway, Glen Rice, Steve Smith and Antoine Walker.

The Eastern Conference squad dominated the game, winning by a final score of 135-114. Jordan earned MVP honors and scored a game-high 23 points to go with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals.

For the Western Conference, Bryant led the way with 18 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes. He sunk 7-of-16 field goal attempts and additionally tallied two steals on the defensive end.

O’Neal contributed 12 of his own points with four rebounds in 18 minutes on the floor. Lakers teammates Jones and Van Exel also provided a spark off the bench, combining for 28 points and 14 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant would play in 18 All-Star Games

Kobe Bryant would go on to play in 18 All-Star Games in his career with the Lakers, which ranks third in league history behind only LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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After a back-and-forth affair, Los Angeles found themselves trailing by three points after one quarter. But they would bounce back with a strong offensive showing in the second quarter and entered halftime with a six-point lead.

The third quarter was much of the same for the Lakers, who outscored the Trail Blazers and increase their lead to nine.

With the game in hand, Los Angeles would tack on another eight-point advantage in the final 12 minutes of play to win by a final score of 99-82. For the Lakers, the victory marked the first of four consecutive.

Lamar Odom set the tone offensively, recording a double-double behind 10 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in roughly 37 minutes of action. He additionally dished out six assists and tallied a block and steal on the defensive end.

Metta World Peace scored a game-high 21 points and added four assists, three rebounds and one steal over 38 minutes on the floor. Shannon Brown provided a spark off the bench with 19 points while Pau Gasol contributed 13 points and eight rebounds to boot.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 16 points, converting 7-of-16 field goal attempts on the night. Guards Steve Blake and Andre Miller created opportunities for their teammates, combining for 13 assists during the contest.

But it was to no avail, as the Lakers improved to a Western Conference-best 39-13 on the season. The Trail Blazers fell to 30-23 but remained in the playoff race with the No. 6 seed.

Lakers would go on to beat Celtics in NBA Finals

The Lakers’ mission that season was to repeat as champions and they were successful, returning to the NBA Finals and this time beating the rival Boston Celtics in seven games to win it all.

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