Kobe Bryant hitting big shots and nearly finding the 50-point mark wasn't surprising.

The shock on Friday night was who helped Bryant, as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a crucial victory in their playoff push.

Bryant got his points, finishing with 46, but the critical element was bench contributions from Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar and Brian Cook in the Lakers' 112-109 win over the Seattle SuperSonics on Friday night.

Bryant scored 31 in the second half, and his 19-footer over two defenders with 1:41 left gave the Lakers the lead for good.