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Bryant nets 50 in third straight

Kobe Bryant became the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points in three straight games on Thursday.

Bryant scored 60 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 121-119 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Bryant was 20-for-37 from the field, including 3-for-7 from the 3-point line and 17 of 18 from the free-throw line.

The last Laker with three consecutive 50-point games was Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor in December 1962. Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain are the only other players with three straight 50-point games.

"It just feels great," Bryant said of joining Baylor, Jordan and Chamberlain. "It's really special and very humbling to be in the same company."

It was the fourth 60-point game of Bryant's career, tying him with Jordan for the second-most 60-point games in a career. Chamberlain holds the record with 32. Jordan was the last NBA player to score at least 50 points in three straight games during the 1986-87 season.

Bryant was looking to extend the run when the Lakers faced the New Orleans Hornets yesterday. Bryant scored 65 points against Portland last Friday and 50 against Minnesota on Sunday.

Trail Blazers 92, Knicks 86

At New York, Brandon Roy scored 24 points, Jamaal Magloire had his best game of the season and Portland dealt New York a potentially costly loss.

Jarrett Jack added 15 points and Magloire 14, tying a season high. Magloire also had a season-best 16 rebounds while thoroughly outplaying Knicks center Eddy Curry.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 12 points for Portland, which opened a four-game trip with its second straight victory.

Nate Robinson scored a season-high 31 points for the Knicks, who missed a chance to move into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Stephon Marbury added 17, but Curry managed only eight points and four rebounds.

Rockets 91, Pistons 85

At Houston, Yao Ming (姚明) scored 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds and made a key block in the final minute to lead Houston.

Tracy McGrady added 20 points and eight assists and Rafer Alston went 3-for-5 from 3-point range and scored 16 for the Rockets, who've won five in a row and eight of their past nine games.

Houston trails Utah by a half game in the race for the fourth-best record in the West.

Antonio McDyess scored 16 and Chauncey Billups added 13 points and six assists for Detroit, which had its six-game road winning streak snapped. Billups was back in the lineup after missing two games with a strained groin.

Bulls 109, Nuggets 108

At Chicago, rookie Tyrus Thomas scored on a tip-in with two-tenths of a second left after Ben Gordon's missed jumper, giving Chicago the victory.

Allen Iverson's drive along the right side gave Denver a 108-107 lead with 13.1 seconds left, but the Nuggets saw their five-game win streak end in a wild finish.

Gordon got trapped in the right corner after catching an inbounds pass and threw a weak pass toward P.J. Brown on the wing. The Bulls maintained possession and Gordon missed a jumper from the corner. Luol Deng kept the ball alive and Thomas tipped in the winner.

Gordon finished with 25 points, Deng had 22 points and 14 rebounds and Kirk Hinrich scored 21 points. Brown added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Thomas finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

Iverson led Denver scorers with 31 points, Carmelo Anthony added 28 and Nene had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Suns 118, Kings 100

At Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire bounced back from one of his worst games of the season to score 33 points and grab 21 rebounds to lead Phoenix over Sacramento, which was playing without Ron Artest.

Steve Nash had 17 points and 16 assists to help Phoenix hand the Kings their eighth loss in nine games.

With Artest absent, Phoenix dominated the game inside with a 58-33 rebound advantage that offset the Suns' 5-for-22 3-point shooting.

Phoenix was 1-for-16 on threes until Jalen Rose made three of them in the fourth quarter.

Artest was in court on misdemeanor charges, including battery and corporal injury to a spouse, stemming from an incident with his wife. He had planned to catch a flight to Phoenix after the hearing, but the plane was diverted to Ontario, California because of thunderstorms. After still more delays in California, Artest returned to Sacramento on the advice of Kings president Geoff Petrie.
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