By Brian Martin

Wednesday night featured another vintage performance from Kobe Bryant.

Bryant's Shot Chart vs New Orleans
FG: 14-21 (66.7%), 3FG: 3-7 (42.9%), FT: 11-14 (78.6%)
Shot Chart | Box Score

Less than a week after the nickname Vino became part of NBA discussions, the man formerly nicknamed the Black Mamba turned in an incredible performance in New Orleans -- posting 42 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds as the Lakers rallied past the Hornets for a 108-102 victory.

Rally is an understatement. The Lakers outscored the Hornets 20-0 in the final 6:22 of the game. After a Robin Lopez dunk put the Hornets up 102-88 with 6:47 to go, they would not score again. Bryant scored 13 of his 42 points during that game-winning run, which brought the Lakers back to .500 after Tuesday night's loss to Oklahoma City, and within a game-and-a-half of the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

While Bryant was the catalyst behind the comeback, he didn't do it alone; Dwight Howard posted 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks -- including a huge block against Lopez at the rim with 27.7 seconds remaining -- and Jodie Meeks added 19 points, including two 3-pointers in the final run. For a Lakers team looking to climb the standings into the playoff race, every win is crucial and a loss to a 21-win Hornets team could have been crushing.

This was the third-largest comeback win since Bryant joined the Lakers and the largest since Dec. 6, 2002 when the Lakers erased a 30-point deficit to defeat the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers outscored the Hornets 33-9 in the fourth quarter, with Bryant outscoring the Hornets by himself, 18-9, in the period.

Bryant did more than score, he also led the Lakers with 12 assists as he posted only the second 40+ point, 10+ assist and 5+ rebound game of his career. The previous one came on Dec. 17, 2006 when he had 45 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a loss to Washington.

Kobe 40+ Points, 10+ Assists, 5+ Rebounds

Bryant has had 17 40-10 games in his 17-year career, but only four of them have come with assists as the second double-digit statistic. The Lakers have gone 2-2 in those four games.

Kobe 40+ points, 10+ Assists

Bryant's more common 40-10 performances have been with points and rebounds. And while he has come close on a few occasions (including Wednesday night), Bryant has never recorded a triple-double with 40+ points. Overall, the Lakers are 9-8 in games when Bryant posts 40 and 10.

Kobe 40+ Points, 10+ Rebounds or Assists

A few interesting notes from this list.

• Seven of Bryant's 40-10 games came in the month of March, followed by January (5), December (4) and November (1).
• Four of Bryant's 40-10 games came in the 2006 calendar year
• Four of Bryant's 40-10 games came during the 2006-07 season, including back-to-back games on Dec. 15 and Dec 17, 2006.
• Three of Bryant's 40+-10+ games featured 50-point performances (Dec. 17, 2006 and Mar. 28, 2008)
• Indiana, Philadelphia, Dallas, Phoenix and Sacramento have each twice been the victim to Bryant's 40-10 performances. Sacramento is the only team to lose both games, the other four split 1-1.