Kobe youngest to 19,000 NBA points

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-04-05 10:30

LOS ANGELES, California - Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby led the Denver Nuggets to a 111-105 road victory over the Lakers on Tuesday, in a game where Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to reach the 19,000-point plateau.


Los Angles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (M) is high-fived by fans after scoring 50 points against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets during their NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Louisiana March 23, 2007. [Reuters]

Anthony scored 31 points and Camby added 21, 20 rebounds and six blocked shots as the Nuggets won in LA for only the second time in their last 20 attempts to move within one and a half games of the sixth-placed Lakers in the Western Conference.

Nuggets coach George Karl missed the game as his son underwent surgery for the removal of cancerous lymph nodes, leaving his assistant Adrian Dantley in charge.

Bryant, who had 39 points in the game, reached his points milestone at 28 years and 223 days, eclipsing Michael Jordan's mark of 29 years and 62 days.

Allen Iverson added 20 points and 10 assists as Denver also overcame a triple-double by Lamar Odom -- 17 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists -- to hand the Lakers a third loss in four games.

Odom's performance was the first triple-double by a Laker this season.

Dantley picked up the victory a day after finding out he did not make the NBA Hall of Fame, against Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson, who was voted in.

"I got a win against a Hall of Famer, and I didn't make the Hall of Fame," said Dantley. "I thought I'd be a Hall of Famer today, too. Pretty good victory. But that's (Jackson) the best coach of all-time."

Steve Nash dished out 17 assists and scored 15 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to their third straight victory, a 116-111 win at Memphis to open a four-game road trip.

LeBron James scored 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 101-88 win over the Timberwolves in Minneapolis.

In Charlotte, Gerald Wallace had 34 points and 14 rebounds and Raymond Felton 17 points and 14 assists to carry the Bobcats to a 122-102 victory over the Washington Wizards, who got 33 points from Gilbert Arenas.



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