Kobe Bryant: Black Mamba Strikes for 40 Points in Lakers Win

The Black Mamba doesn't merely strike once. One night after dropping 48 on the Phoenix Suns, Kobe Bryant was scoring 40 in a winning effort on the Utah Jazz. 

Call it the perennial chip on Bryant's shoulders or renewed knees that are fresh from European doctors, but the Lakers star looks to be in MVP shape after another dominant showing. 

The Lakers were looking for their first road win and were facing a team that owns their crib. The Utah Jazz have shown a much different form since the Lakers saw them at Staples Center on December 27th. 

The Jazz were 6-2 since that time, but you can now add another loss to their record as the Lakers took a close one in overtime, 90-87.  

This was the season that the media decided Kobe Bryant was washed up. ESPN, in their infinite wisdom, declared that Bryant was the seventh-best player in the league.

We can safely assume that the Black Mamba has taken some form of inspiration from the sudden lack of respect from those who once lauded him. Well, it's time to get back on the Mamba bandwagon.

Bryant just dropped 88 points in back-to-back games and showed no signs of tiring. The game was not all Bryant though.

These are not the Smush Parker Lakers where Bryant will have to do it all. Pau Gasol chipped in with 14 points, but three of them cam from the wing in what was a sweet-stroke three-pointer.

The play of the night cam from Andrew Bynum who had one of his five blocks on the night against a Al Jefferson with 1.9 seconds left in overtime. One more Kobe Bryant block later and the Lakers were waltzing to the locker room one game richer. 

For Bryant, he had yet another game that proved his best days are not yet over. This man has a great deal of spring left in his step. 

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