LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant(notes) always credits his mentors and teachers when he rolls past a scoring milestone. Given the manner in which he hit his latest superlative, he felt it was only appropriate to give a nod to Hakeem Olajuwon.
Bryant scored 41 points while becoming the youngest player to reach 24,000, leading the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Scoring basket after basket on turnaround jumpers and inside moves against the undersized Memphis defenders in the low post, Bryant carried the Lakers while reaching the milestone 38 days before Wilt Chamberlain did. With a second-half surge from his growing repertoire of inside moves, he even overtook Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson(notes) for 16th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.
Bryant visited Olajuwon over the summer to learn more about low-post play, and the Houston Rockets’ famed center provided Kobe with even more skills to keep knocking down scoring marks.
“You think back on all the years I’ve been here, all the mentors I’ve had,” Bryant said. “I’ve learned everything from other guys that have been here. There’s nothing original in my game.”
Even if Bryant doesn’t invent, there are nights when he perfects—and the rest of the Lakers were grateful for his attention to detail.
Ron Artest(notes) had 19 points and seven assists in the fourth straight win for the defending NBA champions, who played without injured big men Andrew Bynum(notes) and Pau Gasol(notes). Lamar Odom(notes) managed just three points before fouling out on his 30th birthday, but Bryant and Artest probably can carry the Lakers until they’re whole again.
“We don’t really know the identity of the team right now,” Artest said. “We’re driving without a license—no identity. We’re like ‘The Bourne Ultimatum.”’
Before punctuating his night with two beautiful fallaway jumpers in the final 2 minutes, Bryant became the 17th NBA player to score 24,000 points on a second-quarter basket. At 31 years, 75 days old, Bryant needed every bit of his head start from skipping college to beat Chamberlain to the mark.
Bryant scored exactly 41 points for the third time in four games, giving him 99 career 40-point games. Bryant scored 15 points in the third quarter while the Lakers turned a halftime deficit into a 12-point lead, and he added 10 in the final period while the healthy Lakers held on.
“It looked easy because I did a lot of work early to get my position (in the low post),” Bryant said. “It just comes easier to me this year because I’m well-rested. I have the energy to carry things for a longer period of time.”
Iverson had eight points in 22 minutes coming off the bench in his third game with Memphis. Before the game, the 10-time All-Star said he didn’t fully understand the controversy over several barbed comments he made earlier in the Grizzlies’ road trip when he said he didn’t want to come off the bench or be part of a rebuilding team.
Rudy Gay(notes) scored 22 points—two in the fourth quarter—and Zach Randolph(notes) had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who are winless on a four-game trip that ends Saturday night against the Clippers.
“For the most part, we played pretty good defense on Kobe, but he hit tough shots,” Gay said. “(Bynum and Gasol) are really good players, but they also have Kobe, and Kobe’s a great player. So it’s not like just because those two guys were out that we thought we were going to win. You’ve still got to play the game.”
The Lakers opened a stretch with 14 of 16 games at home by beating Memphis for the fifth straight time overall and the fifth in a row at Staples Center.
Bynum sat out after straining his right elbow in Wednesday’s win at Houston, while Gasol missed the chance to play against his brother, Marc, the Grizzlies’ starting center, because of a strained hamstring that’s kept him out all season.
“Great teams aren’t just one or two players,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “They’re great for a reason. They need those two players to compete on the highest stage, but during the regular season, they’ll find a way to get around those injuries.”
Odom struggled in Pau Gasol’s place, and DJ Mbenga(notes) had 13 rebounds while starting for the first time in his three seasons with the Lakers.
NOTES: Buffalo Bills WR Terrell Owens attended the game, waiting in the tunnel afterward for Lakers friends to finish dressing. … Mbenga, the Congolese 7-footer, had started two games in his career, one in each of his first two seasons with Dallas. … The Lakers honored John Radcliffe, their longtime scorer, by presenting a championship ring to his wife, Carolyn. Radcliffe, who had held his job since 1961, died during the summer. … Bryant is responsible for the three highest-scoring performances by an opponent in Grizzlies history, including a 60-point game in March 2007.
Silver Screen and Roll
Straight Outta Vancouver
186 Comments
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yeah its good but its gonna take more than move to post gotta be strong. i aint never play mike but reggie miller did make a comment about mike and kobe cuz he played both and he said jordans alot stronger than kobe in the post. its to bad that LA didnt do something about their bench which i believe is their weakest link and that a huge link
184 U make me laugh if u askn who were tthe stars during jordan era. remember jordan hit the scence in 1984. magic and bird were already in they 4and5 years pro
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u gott be out of ur mind u think kobe better than jordan. look at him now everyone talkn bout this the dream visit over the summmmer forgetting the fact that kobe been in the league 14yrs and just now tryn to get to the low post. i said it before kobe needs to take his butt down to the post to make the triangle more effective. that the most effective position in the whole offense. i kno this cuz jordon used it alll the time to draw his double teams and if u didnt u got abused. when he said how great boston played defense in 2008 finals and he said it hard to get to the paint against them i said y dont u try going to the post without the ball like jordan did instead of dribbling from the 30 ft out tryn to beat your man wasting all that energy. u pick spots for tyhat like when u got a bigge defender. lebron is in the same mode. 250lbs and he always talkn bout his strengh think about how effective he would b if he used post as his primary weapon. times have changed but the game remains the same. the dream was the beest center of all time. he could do it all. had great footwork and handles like a guard and could shoot. tell me one center who had the ability he had. by the way the real champs still remain wit the bulls since jordan didnt defend it in 99 due to retirment some had to get the crown
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LAKERS ARE YOUR WORLD CHAMPIONS (and will repeat)
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kobe my man the best player in the planet the lakers the best franshise ever no doubt about it!!!
congrats to kb24 and hopefully continues breaking mo' records baby! GO LAKERS (2010 CHAMPS)!
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The elite always hang with the elite.
He used to be 1A in terms of best wideout in the NFL.
Now he's a halfback option-yet another way for him to score.
One would think that on a bye week-
he would at least hang out with his new team-and try to gel.
I miss him on Dallas.
I miss him catching touchdowns.
The NFL misses his showmanship.
I bet Nicolette Sheridan even misses him!
Come back T.O.! Come back!
Or even better yet-host Saturday Night Live!
With special music guest-Mariah Carey!!
Your still the man bro-I just wish you would man up and just be that TD guy again.
later 6. later.
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