Kobe B
ryant achieved something on Sunday night that no one else in NBA history has before. With his ninth assist in the third quarter versus the Toronto Raptors, Kobe recorded his 6,000th career assist. He became the first player ever to be named to the 30,000 point and 6,000 assist club.
A little less than two weeks ago, he put himself in the record books when he scored his 32,000th career point against the Atlanta Hawks. He’s sitting at fourth on the NBA all-time scoring list, now less than 200 points behind Michael Jordan. If he can continue to play and score at the rate he is now, Kobe will easily pass Jordan for third all-time in the next month.
His record-setting assist went to Wesley Johnson on Sunday night, when Kobe swung it down to the baseline and Johnson finished with a jumper over Kyle Lowry. You can watch the play below:
Currently averaging 26.4 points a night, per NBA.com, Kobe would pass Jordan on the all-time list by nearly 1,500 points if he were to play the remaining 65 games with the same scoring pace.
Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com has more on the milestone for Kobe:
The next major milestone Kobe will be shooting for is third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Bryant is poised to pass six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan on the list next month if he can continue to stay healthy and play at a high level.
Kobe averaged a league-best 26.4 points per game heading into the matchup with the Raptors on Sunday. Bryant was sitting at 32,122 career points before taking on Toronto which puts him 170 points behind Jordan’s total of 32,292.
Kobe led the Lakers over the Raptors in OT 129-122. He finished his career night with a triple-double with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.
CAVS BIG THREE STARTING TO CLICK
The Cleveland Cavaliers are starting to play more like they were expected to when they were brought together last summer. LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are beginning to get things going on the offensive end with more ball movement and efficiency.
Not only is the offense flowing better in their current three-game win streak, but the defense seems to be much improved. When you’re talking about their defense though, much improved doesn’t mean a whole lot. The Cavs have been downright horrific on defense this season, playing what coach David Blatt has called “lethargic” on many occasions.
In the past three games, wins over the Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers, Cleveland’s lackluster defense has stepped up the intensity. In those wins, the Cavs held their opponents to an average of 40.7% shooting from the floor. Their highest percentage allowed was to the Wizards who shot 46.5%, but they also forced 18 turnovers in that game.
Love and Irving have seemed to buy-in to the need for more defensive energy, too. Love was active in the paint, picking up a couple steals and staying active. Irving, who has talked about wanting to become a great defensive player, held his man for most of the night in Donald Sloan to just two points on 1-of-8 from the floor.
Needless to say, the wins have all come at home during their five-game homestand. They’ve also come against a shorthanded Magic and Pacers team, who are also not great teams to be fair. After their embarrassing loss to Toronto last Saturday, they have started to turn things around, which they desperately needed to do.
LeBron talked about the need for consistency and balance for his Cavs after their victory Saturday, courtesy of Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:
“We’re going to have games like that, and we need it,” James said afterwards. “We need balance. We’re going to have guys that lead in points or in rebounds or in assists, whatever, on different occasions. Every game presents different challenges and for us, I’m not one to really care about if I’m the leading scorer or whatever the case might be. I’m out there making plays to help our team win.”
In one sense, James’ minutes may have been the determining factor in his stat line. Love, who was averaging 16.5 points coming in, played about 33 minutes and Irving played 36.
“Probably if he had played his normal minutes he’d a been in the 25 to 28 point level,” Cavaliers coach David Blatt said. “He just did his job well enough early, together with the other guys.”
James ended up playing 32 minutes, and sat the entire fourth quarter. He finished with 19 points, 2 boards and 7 dimes. This may have been his sweetest assist on the season in the first quarter:
Kevin Love scored a season-high 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the 109-97 win. Perhaps the most scrutinized of the Big Three so far this season, he looked like the dominant stretch four who played in Minnesota the last six years.
His footwork was much quicker, taking David West off the dribble from the arc and driving to the basket for a layup off the glass. He mixed things up offensively, adding a couple threes and mid-range jumpers, as well as a few more drives to the hoop that either earned him an easy bucket or foul shots. This was by far his best performance as a Cavalier.
Irving also notched a double-double of his own with 24 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five assists.
The Cavs are now above .500 at 8-7. They’ll look to improve on that mark when they host the surprising Milwaukee Bucks (10-8) this Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE
Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade both returned to action on Sunday night when their teams faced off in New York.
Melo sat out the past two games with back spasms. The Knicks lost those two games he was out, including a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Russell Westbrook’s huge return after missing 14 games with a fractured hand. He finished with a game-high 31 points in the 86-79 loss.
Wade had missed the Heat’s last seven games with a hamstring injury, watching his team post a 3-4 record in that span. He came back in a big way, putting up 27 points in the victory, 13 of those in the fourth quarter. The Heat desperately need his leadership to help with consistency, so hopefully Wade can put this injury behind him.
Maybe the best part about the game was the post-game interview with Wade, where his wife and actress Gabrielle Union decided to stop by, saying he was “Good for an old geezer”. Watch the full interview here.
WINNING AND LOSING STREAKS PROMINENT EARLY ON
Basketball is a game of runs. This statement holds true not just during individual games, but also throughout stretches of teams’ schedules. Winning and losing streaks, at the right or wrong time, can change the outcome of an entire season based on when they occur.
The beginning of the season isn’t as crucial as it is in March and April before the playoffs start, but it can certainly set the tone for what the rest of the year might be like.
If you’re fan of the NBA, you know the Philadelphia 76ers are still winless. Despite a triple-double from reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams (18 points, 10 boards, career-high 16 assists), the Sixers lost their 16th game in a row on Saturday to the Mavericks 110-103. The loss set a franchise record for consecutive losses to begin a season.
Another team holding a long losing streak is the Charlotte Hornets, who lost their ninth straight on Saturday at the hands of the Hawks. The Hornets look lost on both ends of the court, losing multiple games in blowout fashion, including the loss to the Hawks by a score of 105-75. Maybe Lance Stephenson wasn’t the star player the Hornets were looking for.
On another note, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs continue to impress, earning winning streaks of nine and seven games respectively with their wins on Sunday. The Warriors hold a record of 14-2, good for second best in the League, while the Spurs are now 12-4, holding the fourth best record.
All stats are courtesy of NBA.com.