Daily Dribble: Kobe Hits Another Milestone

November 18, 2009 11:04am CST

Bryant Hits 40 Points for 100th Time

For the 15th time this season, a player scored at least 40 points. For the fourth time this season, it was Kobe Bryant. And for the 100th time in his career, Kobe scored at least 40. The Mamba's 17-of-29 shooting was too much for the Pistons to overcome as the Lakers withstood a 30-16 run in the fourth quarter to win 106-93 on Tuesday. Bryant endured a disappointing week last season and attributed his struggles to a sore groin. He did not appeared hampered on Tuesday as he routinely took the Pistons smaller guards into the post and converted a number of dazzling shots.

Andrew Bynum notched his eighth double-double in nine games with 17 points and 12 rebounds and Lamar Odom registered a triple-ocho (eight points, eight rebounds, and right assists) as the Lakers improved to 8-3 without Pau Gasol. The Lakers out-rebounded their opponent 44-32 and had 27 assists to the Pistons' 17.

The Pistons were led by Will Bynum's 24 points. Bynumite has scored at least 20 points in three straight games and has led the Pistons in assists on six occasions this season. The six-foot sixth man is averaging 14.9 points and 4.4 rebounds on 50.4 percent shooting. He hit 9-of-12 shots against the Lakers. Pistons starters shot just 15-of-42 (35.7 percent) on the night.

The win gave Phil Jackson his 1,049th of his career, which moved him past Larry Brown for sixth all time. The win prevented the Lakers from losing three straight, which they have not done in nearly two full years.

Nelson Could Miss Six Weeks
Jameer Nelson will need surgery on his left knee and is expected to miss four to six weeks. An All-Star last season, this is the second serious injury of 2009 for the stocky six-footer.

Jason Williams will likely assume the starting point guard job and could be worth a look in fantasy leagues, particularly those that count turnovers. He currently ranks first in the league with a 4.89 assist-to-turnover ratio but contributes little else aside from three-pointers. Veteran Anthony Johnson should serve as a very capable backup, but not one that's worth fantasy consideration.

The Orlando Sentinel is already calling for the Magic to invest in Allen Iverson to serve as Nelson's replacement. After Nelson was hurt last season, Magic GM Otis Smith wasted little time in acquiring Rafer Alston.

Nelson becomes the seventh player already this season that has missed time for the Magic.

Fastbreak

New Orleans General Manager/Coach Jeff Bower earned his first win as the Hornets defeated the visiting Clippers 110-102 on Tuesday. Chris Paul, who was agitated with the decision to fire Byron Scott without being consulted, cheered his teammates throughout the game and gave the game ball to Bower afterwards in the locker room. The team withstood a season-high 30 points from Al Thornton as six Hornets scored in double digits, led by David West's 24. The team out-rebounded the Hornets 51-36 in the game.

The Suns became the first team to 10 wins with a 111-105 road victory over the Rockets. Amar'e Stoudemire led the way with 23 points and Steve Nash had 12 points and 16 assists, despite just hitting 2-of-10 shots. For Houston, Carl Landry had 27 points and nine rebounds. He has averaged 16.6 points over his last five games while shooting 62.5 percent and should be added in most 12-team leagues. Trevor Ariza continued his stat-sheet stuffing ways with 19 points, nine boards, four assists, three steals, and three treys.

Kevin Durant continued to have his way on offense as the Thunder defeated the Heat 100-87 in Miami. Durant's 32 points was the fourth time in his last five games that he scored at least 30 points and he is shooting 47.7 percent in that span while going to the free-throw line an average of 12.2 times per game. He also had nine boards and five assists in the win.

The Raptors had six players score at least 12 points but fell in Denver by 18, in large part due to J.R. Smith. In 22 minutes off the bench, Smith had 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 32 points in 20 minutes on an impressive 12-of-15 shooting. For the Raptors, rookie DeMar DeRozan finished in double figures for the first time this season with 17 points.

In his first game with the Warriros, Vladimir Radmanovic was inserted into the starting lineup and played a season-high 34 minutes. He apparently had the green light as well, as he took 12 shots, half of them three-pointers. However, he finished with just 11 points and five rebounds. Backup Anthony Randolph had 13 points and eight boards, while Corey Maggette also came off the bench to deliver 19 and 11. The Warriors eventually lost to the Cavs 114-108 thanks to LeBron James who had 31 points, 12 assists, five boards, two blocks and a steal.

Michael Beasley logged a season-low 23 minutes in the loss to the Thunder and finished with eight points and no rebounds. He has now failed to score in double digits in three of his last five games.

There is a stream of reports suggesting that the Warriors and Monta Ellis have agreed to explore ways to trade him. Ellis had 23 points, eight assists, and three steals in last night's loss to the Cavs, and has statistically been the best player on the team this season.

Dahntay Jones scored 17 points, grabbed five boards, and dished four dimes in the Pacers 91-83 win over the Nets. He has hit double figures in all but one game this season and is averaging 16.5 points per game. Teammate Roy Hibbert delivered his fourth double-double of his last six games with 19 points and ten rebounds. He also had three blocks and is averaging 2.5 per game.

Chris Douglas-Roberts and Brook Lopez had huge games for the Nets, but the rest of the team did very little. CDR contributed 27 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists while hitting 11-of-25 shots in the loss to the Pacers. Lopez took a season-high 27 shots and finished with 26 points, 16 boards, three assists, and five blocks as the Nets fell to 0-11.

John Salmons, who has struggled with his shot all season, hit 9-of-18 for 23 points to lead the Bulls to a 101-87 road win over the Kings. He was 3-for-5 from long range and contributed five boards and four steals in the game. For the Kings, Donte Greene dropped in 24 points. He started in place of Andres Nocioni (hip) and is worth keeping an eye on. Rookie Tyreke Evans got the better of Derrick Rose as he delivered 20 points, four assists, four boards, three blocks, and two steals. Rose had 10, seven, three, one, and two respectively.

Stars in Suits
Antawn Jamison, who has missed the entire season due to a shoulder injury, will make his season debut on Wednesday. Expect him to take a significant role immediately.

Raja Bell is in danger of missing the remainder of the season as he has decided to have surgery to repair a partially torn ligament in his wrist. Some estimate that he may only be sidelined for six weeks. Bell was traded from the Bobcats to the Warriors two days ago.

Hedo Turkoglu missed Tuesday's game with a sore hip, but the injury is not believed to be very serious. He has been bothered by the ailment for the past few days. Antoine Wright will start in his place.

Travis Outlaw will have surgery on Wednesday to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. He will miss up to two months. Expect Rudy Fernandez and Martell Webster to see more playing time while he is out.

Pau Gasol has been taking part in Lakers practices this weekend and it is believed he is eyeing a Thursday return. Still, don't hold your breath. The Lakers want to be certain Gasol is not in danger of re-injuring his hamstring, which has kept him out all season.

Troy Murphy missed his fifth straight game on Tuesday with a back injury. He was believed to be near a return, but a target date has yet to be established.

Al Harrington is questionable for Wednesday's game due to a sore shoulder. He did not practice on Tuesday.

Erick Dampier, who couldn't suit up on Sunday due to light-headedness, is seeing specialists to determine the cause. He is out for Wednesday's game against the Spurs.

Andres Nocioni missed Tuesday's game against the Bulls due to a hip injury. The extent of the injury has not been revealed.

Randy Foye returned to practice on Tuesday and could play on Wednesday against the Cavaliers. He has missed the past two games with an ankle injury.

Andris Biedrins will be re-evaluated next Monday. He has missed four games due to a sore back and it's unlikely he will suit up any time before the evaluation.

Michael Redd practiced on Tuesday and is hoping to return for Friday's game. Once he returns, expect Brandon Jennings to take less shots.

Kareem Rush will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury that will require surgery.