5 Worst Losses of Kobe Bryant's Career

Every great player has bad nights, every championship contending team has bad games. The NBA's 82-game regular season grind is not one for everybody. Even the greats of the game have got it handed to them on some nights.

Some of these losses come in rebuilding years while some come when the team is potent with talent but just needs to be reminded to wake up. A team that is mentally strong will learn and bounce back from such losses but such a quality is only seen in few special teams.

In a previous edition of worst losses, we took a look at the career of LeBron James, today it's the turn of 5-time champion Kobe Bryant:

5) 35 - Oklahoma City Thunder 120-85 Los Angeles Lakers [December 23, 2015]

Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant battling for the ball.

The Black Mamba had announced his retirement, just under a month back on Nov. 30, but the championship contending Oklahoma City Thunder didn't go easy on him.

The Thunder needed pretty average games from their stars - Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to blow away the home team. They weren't bad, it's just that the blowout wasn't a result of a herculean performance from either of them. In 27 minutes, Durant put up 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. His partner-in-crime Westbrook recorded 23 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals.

The 35-point loss was just a measure of the Lakers' talent or lack thereof. Bryant had an off-game, playing just 28 minutes and putting 19 points and 3 assists on 7-of-22 shooting. The team as a whole shot 36.0% as compared to OKC's 53.7%. The visiting team's starters outscored the Lakers first five 82 to 39, the game was pretty much done there. In the first quarter of either quarter, the Thunder outscored the Lakers a combined 62-32.

4) 36 - Dallas Mavericks 108-72 Los Angeles Lakers [March 11, 2007]

Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki

Bryant hates losing. Which great of the game doesn't right?

But once again, he and the Lakers were just outplayed by a team that was coming off a Finals appearance the previous year (2006) - the Dallas Mavericks. The Texas team were led by Dirk Nowitzki, who would eventually go on to clinch the league MVP trophy that season, took apart the Lakers and never looked back after taking a huge lead in the second quarter of the game.

Dallas outscored the home team 31-11 in the second quarter to head into halftime with a 24-point lead. While Nowitzki was the team's leader, it was Josh Howard who was the best player on the team with a 24-point performance (3-of-3 from beyond the arc). He also finished the game with 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists and recorded a game-best +39 on his stat sheet.

To nobody's surprise, Bryant was the best player on the Lakers. He recorded 25 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists but that's the only meaningful contribution the team received. Kwame Brown (10 points) was the only player in double figures.

3) 36 - Dallas Mavericks 122-86 Los Angeles Lakers [Game 4, Conf. Semifinals - May 8, 2011]

Los Angeles Lakers v Dallas Mavericks - Game Three

The next two are going to sting and they are probably two of the top five losses Bryant might look back and remember as the most disappointing. It's one thing to lose in the Playoffs as the two-time reigning Champions, it's another thing to get swept.The Lakers had won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 and in true Phil Jackson style were aiming a third straight but it just wasn't meant to be.

The mental and physical toll of trying to make their fourth straight Finals got the better of the Lakers. It was tough but they got past Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2011 Playoffs but in the second round (the Conference Semifinals) they just embarrassed themselves.

In four games against the eventual champions - the Mavericks - the Lakers lost by an average margin of 14 points. In Game 4, they kept it close till the first quarter but lost the plot in the second, where they were outscored by 20 (36-16).

Bryant was the LA's best player with 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting (0-of-5 on 3's) in 37 minutes but this effort was no match for Jason Terry. The Jet came off the bench and erupted for a game-high 32 points on a super-efficient 11-of-14 shooting (9-of-10 on 3's). The Mavericks as a whole shot 60.3% from the field and 62.5% from beyond the arc (Lakers - 37.8%, 20.8%).

2) 39 - Boston Celtics 131-92 Los Angeles Lakers [Game 6, 2008 NBA Finals - June 17]

NBA Finals Game 6: Los Angeles Lakers v Boston Celtics

While the previous game was a dynasty on its last legs, this one was where the Lakers' run for back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 begun. The 2008 Finals between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics were a relatively close-fought series with four out of the first five games ending with a point differential of just six points. Keeping that in mind, Game 6 should have been interesting right?

Instead, the Celtics thrashed their nemesis and handing them the worst Playoff loss in franchise history (this records still stands). Similar to the 2011 Dallas game, the Lakers lost their hand on the game in the second quarter, where they were outscored by 19 (34-15).

Scoring 92 points is not that bad. For example, the Lakers beat the Celtics in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals by scoring just 83 points. However, in this game, the Lakers gave up 131 points.

To make matter's worse, LA's supporting cast (everyone except Bryant, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol) just couldn't match up to their counterparts in this game, getting outscored by 62-45

1) 48 - Utah Jazz 123-75 Los Angeles Lakers [March 28th, 2016]

Kobe Bryant suffered the worst loss of his career in his final game in Utah

Everybody remembers and knows who Kobe Bryant scored 60 points against in his career finale - the Utah Jazz. He's had seen it all in Utah, the ups and the downs - Playoffs wins and Playoffs losses but his last time there didn't end well. In his final one in Utah, Bryant suffered the worst loss of his career.

A lot like the other games in his final season, Bryant played just 27 minutes in this game that was running away from the team quite early. The Lakers were outscored 34-16 in the first quarter and from there the lead only went upwards. Apart from the team result, the Black Mamba had a forgetful game even individually, registering just 5 points and 2 assists on 1-of-11 shooting.

With Bryant not firing, the overpowered Lakers were just run over by a super efficient Jazz team that shot 51.7% from the field and 53.1% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, LA just made 30.6% and 35.0% respectively.