The 15 Most Outrageous NBA Performances so Far

The NBA is where amazing happens. On any given night, someone can go off for an outrageous performance.

Whether it's a little-known second-year player, the reigning MVP or a player who is destined for the Hall of Fame and has discovered the fountain of youth, amazing has different forms and faces.

Here are the 15 best, most outrageous, jaw-dropping, amazing individual performances by players this season so far.  

Andrew Bynum, December 31

Andrew Bynum came back from his suspension with a roar on New Year's Eve, much to the chagrin of the Denver Nuggets.

Bynum scored 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field and grabbed 13 boards in helping the Los Angeles Lakers to a win. 

Greg Monroe, January 12

Just because you play on a horrible team doesn't mean you can't have a great game.

Last night against the Milwaukee Bucks, Greg Monroe had an outstanding game, scoring 32 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in a losing effort. 

Monroe was perfect from the stripe, sinking all eight of his attempts, and he was also 12-of-16 from the field. 

Monroe has to be considered one of the "under-the-radar" young players in the NBA. 

Monta Ellis, January 4

Golden State Warriors star Monta Ellis scored 38 points on 15-of-30 shooting, including 4-of-8 from the field and seven assists, in leading the Warriors to a 101-95 win over the Spurs. 

Ellis is one of those players that is on the threshold of stardom. If he and the Warriors can work their way into the postseason this year, he'll be a star for sure. 

Kobe Bryant, January 11

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points the night after scoring 48.

While he wasn't particularly great from the field, he wasn't horrible either, hitting on 14 of 31 attempts. However, he also hit on all 11 attempts from the stripe and added eight boards and four assists. 

Bryant became only the second player since 1985 at 33 or older to score 40 points in back-to-back games.

Michael Jordan, the other player to accomplish the feat, did it twice. 

Kevin Love, December 27

Kevin Love had his fifth 30-point, 20-rebound game.

Only three active players have as many or more 30/20 games. Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard have six (with Howard's sixth coming last night), and Kevin Garnett and Love have five each. 

When you consider that all of Love's have come in the last two seasons, it's just a phenomenal number. 

His fifth came this year against the Milwaukee Bucks in a loss, when Love scored 31 points and had 20 boards. It was a poor shooting night for Love though, who was only 6-of-18 from the field. 

Rajon Rondo, January 1

On New Year's Day, Rajon Rondo secured this year's only triple-double, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 4-of-7 from the stripe. He added 14 dimes and 11 boards.

It wasn't a particularly overwhelming triple-double, and there were some better overall games, including one by Rondo, but the fact that it was the only of the season gets it on the list. 

Derrick Rose, January 10

Derrick Rose always plays his best against the best point guards in the NBA.

Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he scored 31 points, passed for 11 assists and added three rebounds, two steals and a block. 

What's even more impressive is that he did this playing three quarters of the game on a sprained toe, which kept him out of the Bulls' next game against the Wizards. 

LeBron James, December 30

In a down-to-the-wire game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, LeBron James played an outstanding all-around game. He scored 34 points on 16-of-26 shooting, added 10 assists (including a game-winning one), eight rebounds and four steals. 

The game-winning assist probably counted more than the game-winning shot. James fed the ball to Dwyane Wade beautifully, who merely had to drop in an easy layup. 

LeBron James, December 25

On Christmas Day, LeBron James played the role of Grinch to the Dallas Mavericks. 

After raising their championship banner on opening day, the Mavericks were humiliated by the team they'd beaten to earn the right to raise it. 

James had 37 points, 10 boards and six assists in the win. 

Carmelo Anthony, December 25

Carmelo Anthony scored 17 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter in the first game of the NBA season to lead the Knicks over the Celtics on Christmas Day.

Anthony added seven boards, two assists, two steals and a block. He also shot .588 from the field and .571 from the three in the opening-day game. 

Oh yeah, one more thing: He sank the free throws that won the game.

Rajon Rondo, December 25

In the first game of the season, Rajon Rondo had a spectacular performance, scoring 31 points, dishing 13 assists, grabbing five boards and swiping  five steals.

In the end, the Carmelo Anthony-led Knicks secured the home court win, but Rondo had the slightly better individual performance. 

LeBron James, January 4

LeBron James needed to step up against the Pacers with his Heat co-star, Dwyane Wade, out with an injury to his foot.

James did that and then some.

He posted a 33-point, 13-assist, eight-rebound night in leading the Heat to an easy win over the Pacers. 

Kobe Bryant, January 10

On January 10, against the Phoenix Suns, Kobe Bryant—aka the Black Mamba—struck with lethal force, scoring 48 points on 31 field goal attempts and adding five rebounds and three assists, along with three steals. 

Afterward, he reminded us that some people think he's only the seventh best player in the world. 

Dwight Howard, January 12

How many free-throw attempts does it take Dwight Howard to make 21 free throws? The answer is an NBA record 39.

That's just flat-out foul!

Howard ended up with 45 points on the strength of his free throws and went 12-of-21 from the field, adding 23 rebounds. 

While the 45/23 numbers are very impressive and enough to warrant top-spot consideration, the 18 missed free throws—third most in NBA history—keep him at No. 2. 

Derrick Rose, December 30

Whenever it comes to putting Derrick Rose at the top of a list, I check with myself to make sure I'm not being a homer. It's really hard to justify not putting his game against the Clippers as the best game of the season so far, though. 

First, there's the stat line itself, which is utterly amazing.

He scored 29 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the arc. He was also 10-of-11 from the stripe, so it was a very efficient scoring night.

He had 16 assists, so as a facilitator he was remarkable. He added eight boards to come close to completing the triple-double. 

When you look at just the numbers, it's enough to make a good case for the best game of the season.

When you consider he did it against Chris Paul, reigning member of the NBA's All-Defense first team, it's enough to push it to the top.