Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have won seven of their last 10 games. Reuters

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 99-98 on Sunday night, improving their record to 30-30. It’s the first time in 2013 that L.A. has been at the .500 mark.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 34 points. He hit 13 of his 27 shot attempts, and added six rebounds and four assists.

Down the stretch, Bryant made a few key plays to help Los Angeles secure the win. The most impressive may have been a dunk with 2:16 left in the game.

Bryant got the crowd on its feet by completing a one-handed dunk over Josh Smith that gave L.A. a 95-94 lead. Smith is one of the best defenders in the NBA, averaging 2.0 blocks per game. He also stands three inches taller than Bryant at 6-foot-9, but was no match for the future Hall of Famer.

To seal the victory, Bryant scored with Smith in his face, once again. The five-time champion put in the game-winning layup with nine seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

The game came down to the wire, but the Lakers were in control for much of the way. They had a 16-point lead in the second half, but Atlanta kept it close in the final minutes.

Below is a video of Bryant’s dunk over Smith.

NBA