LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant scored 41 points while becoming the youngest player to reach 24,000 to lead the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
Ron Artest had 19 points and seven assists in the fourth straight win for the defending NBA champions, who played without injured big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.
Lamar Odom managed just three points before fouling out on his 30th birthday, but Bryant carried the Lakers while reaching his latest scoring milestone 38 days before Wilt Chamberlain did. With a second-half surge, he even overtook Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson for 16th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.
At New York, LeBron James scored 33 points in his only visit to Madison Square Garden this season, leading Cleveland over New York, 100-91.
James added nine assists and eight rebounds, but fell just short of passing Kobe Bryant as the active scoring leader at the Garden. James improved his average to 30.4 points, with Bryant averaging 30.5 in 11 visits, according to STATS LLC
James had scored 50 or more in two of his last three visits, joining Michael Jordan as the only visiting players with multiple 50-point games at the current building.
At Portland, Oregon, Brandon Roy had 24 points and five rebounds, and Steve Blake added 15 points as Portland got a lift from its new-look lineup to beat San Antonio, 96-84.
Richard Jefferson had 19 points, Manu Ginobili had 17, and Tim Duncan added 14 points and eight rebounds, but San Antonio lost Tony Parker to a sprained ankle and couldn’t overcome a lethargic first half, playing one night after a loss at Utah.
At Oakland, California, Chris Kaman had 22 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes as the Los Angeles Clippers ended a seven-game losing streak in the Oakland Arena with a 118-90 victory over Golden State.
Baron Davis scored 16 of his 25 points in the third quarter. Eric Gordon added 25 points for Los Angeles and DeAndre Jordan scored all 13 of his points in the fourth quarter. Sebastian Telfair also scored 13 points for the Clippers.
Anthony Morrow had 18 points and Stephen Jackson added 17 for the Warriors. Anthony Randolph had 13 points and 14 rebounds for Golden State, while Monta Ellis added 14 points and Kelenna Azubuike 13.
At Boston, Jason Richardson bounced back from his worst game of the season to score 34 points with 10 rebounds as Phoenix rebounded from its only defeat to give Boston its first loss, 110-103.
Kevin Garnett had a season-high 26 points for Boston – the most he’s scored since missing the end of the 2008-09 season and the playoffs with strained ligaments in his right knee.
Steve Nash had 16 points with 12 assists for Phoenix. Amare Stoudemire added 22 points, while Richardson finished 6 for 7 from 3-point range.
At Orlando, Florida, Dwight Howard had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help Orlando hold off Charlie Villanueva and Detroit, 110-103. (AP)