Kobe hits for 81, becomes fifth player to score 70 or more

By halftime, he had 26 points - not a bad tally for most players. By the end of the game, he had put up the second-highest total in NBA history, CBS SportsLine reports.

The Los Angeles Lakers' star scored a staggering 81 points Sunday night against the Toronto Raptors in a 122-104 win. Only Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game stands ahead of him.

"It just happened, man" Bryant said. "It really hasn't, like, set in for me. It's about the 'W,' that's why I turned it on. It turned into something special.

"To sit here and say I grasp what happened, that would be lying. Not even in my dreams."

The NBA's leading scorer left to a standing ovation with 4.2 seconds remaining, having shot 28-of-46 from the floor, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range and 18-of-20 from the foul line.

With the fans at Staples Center chanting "MVP! MVP!" Bryant made two free throws with 43.4 seconds remaining for his final points. He scored 27 points in the third quarter, 28 in the fourth.