Kobe scores 41, reaches milestone in win
November 7, 2009
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 41 points while becoming the youngestplayer to reach 24,000, leading the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-98victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Ron Artest(notes) had 19 points and seven assists in the fourth straight win forthe defending NBA champions, who played without injured big men Andrew Bynum(notes) andPau Gasol(notes).
Lamar Odom(notes) managed just three points before fouling out on his 30thbirthday, but Bryant carried the Lakers while reaching his latest scoringmilestone 38 days before Wilt Chamberlain did. With a second-half surge, he evenovertook Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson(notes) for 16th place on the NBA’s careerscoring list.
Iverson had eight points in 22 minutes coming off the bench in his thirdgame with Memphis. Before the game, the 10-time All-Star said he didn’t fullyunderstand the controversy over several barbed comments he made earlier in theGrizzlies’ road trip when he said he didn’t want to come off the bench or bepart of a rebuilding team.
Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. M… AP – Nov 7, 12:09 am EST Memphis Grizzlies guard Allen … AP – Nov 7, 12:05 am EST
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe … AP – Nov 7, 12:01 am EST
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe … AP – Nov 6, 11:56 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 3; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091107/capt.2267344347bb40c8ad6806916cd91072.grizzlies_lakers_basketball_las103.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=353&hc=392&q=70&sig=HzTZ4i0snijlNy3xwwBMmw--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091107/capt.de0b5c1765b745f4b682b4d6e9a9ded8.grizzlies_lakers_basketball_las102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=238&hc=264&q=70&sig=WiOaPHCpYzXCBQNwgIp60Q--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091107/capt.bbb8741d540240dd84876e0e52e82023.grizzlies_lakers_basketball_las101.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=211&hc=234&q=70&sig=YqIOylrEis1qY6pAO19COA--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 4 Mem-LAL Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();
Rudy Gay(notes) scored 22 points—just two in the fourth quarter—and ZachRandolph(notes) had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who are winless on afour-game road trip that ends Saturday night against the Clippers.
The Lakers opened a stretch with 14 of 16 games at home by beating Memphisfor the fifth straight time overall and the fifth in a row at Staples Center.
Before punctuating his night with two beautiful fallaway jumpers in thefinal two minutes, Bryant became the 17th NBA player to scored 24,000 points ona second-quarter basket. At 31 years, 75 days old, Bryant needed every bit ofhis head start from skipping college to beat Chamberlain to the mark.
Bryant scored exactly 41 points for the third time in four games, giving him99 career 40-point games. Bryant scored 15 points in the third quarter while theLakers turned a halftime deficit into a 12-point lead, and he added 10 in thefinal period while the healthy Lakers held on.
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.
Odom struggled in Pau Gasol’s place, and DJ Mbenga(notes) had 13 rebounds butlittle offensive success while starting for the first time in his three seasonswith the Lakers.
NOTES: Mbenga, the Congolese 7-footer, had started just two games in hisentire career, getting one start in each of his first two NBA seasons with theDallas Mavericks. … The Lakers honored John Radcliffe, their longtime scorer,by presenting a championship ring to his wife, Carolyn. Radcliffe, who had heldhis job since 1961, died during the summer. … Bryant is responsible for thethree highest-scoring performances by an opponent in Grizzlies history,including a 60-point game in March 2007.
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