History-seeking Bryant leads Lakers past Hawks
For Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, it was a rare chance to celebrate. They didn’t pass it up. Bryant scored 28 points and the Lakers held on for just their second win, beating the Atlanta Hawks 114-109 on Tuesday night.
Bryant now has 32,001 points. He’s fourth in the career standings, with Michael Jordan (32,292) next in his sights. “It’s a lot of work over 19 years,” Bryant said.
A locker room that has been solemn most of the season was a lot more raucous this time. Bryant’s biggest shot came with 1:11 remaining, when he backed in against Thabo Sefolosha and made a fadeaway jumper despite being fouled.
Bryant slapped hands with a fan on the front row and completed the three-point play, giving the Lakers a 108-102 lead.
The Hawks had a chance to force overtime after the Lakers (2-9) failed to put it away at the line. But Los Angeles smothered long-range threat Kyle Korver, leaving Pero Antic to take an open 3-pointer. It clanked off the rim and the Lakers gobbled up the loose ball to seal the victory.
Paul Millsap led Atlanta with 29 points. Carlos Boozer added 20 points for the Lakers. N
ick Young, coming back from a thumb injury, had 17 in his first game of the season.
Bucks hold off Knicks 117-113 to climb above .500
Ersan Ilyasova had 20 points, and Milwaukee Bucks climbed above .500 for the first time in more than a year by fending off the New York Knicks for a 117-113 victory Tuesday night.
Zaza Pachulia added season highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Bucks, who improved to 6-5 on the season after nearly blowing a 26-point lead. It was the first time the team had a winning record since March 20, 2013, when it was 34-33.
Parker, who finished with 12 points, is one of the 19-year-old cornerstones of the future, along with 6-foot-11 forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. He had 13 points, and the balanced Bucks had seven players score in double figures.
New York closed to 115-113 with 7.9 seconds left on a dunk off a baseline move by Carmelo Anthony. A desperation 3 at the buzzer by Tim Hardaway Jr. glanced off harmlessly off the rim. Anthony finished with 26 points, while Hardaway Jr. had 24.
The neck-and-neck final few minutes were unexpected after the Bucks led by double digits for most of the first three quarters.
After shooting 60 percent in the first half, the Bucks went cold from the field down the stretch. Bayless’ jumper with 6:32 to go was Milwaukee’s only field goal until Ilyasova pump-faked Anthony to hit a 16-footer with 33.1 seconds remaining for a 112-106 lead.
Results: LA Lakers 114 beat Atlanta Hawks 109; New Yorks Knicks 113 lost to Milwaukee Bucks 117; Oklahoma City Thunder 81 lost to Utah Jazz 98; New Orleans Pelicans 106 beat Sacramento Kings 100
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