MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—Kobe Bryant scored 44 points, passing Jerry West as the Los Angeles Lakers’ career scorer, but it wasn’t enough as the Memphis Grizzlies got 22 points and 17 rebounds from Zach Randolph to defeat the Lakers 95-93 on Monday night.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 25 points, and his 3-pointer with 29.5 seconds left helped Memphis end its two-game losing streak.

Ron Artest’s 3-point attempt from the right side bounced high off the rim as the horn sounded, snapping the Lakers’ four-game winning streak.

Bryant passed West’s mark on a breakaway dunk in the third quarter. Bryant made 16 of 28 shots, including 4 of 7 outside the arc. Artest added 18 points, while Pau Gasol had 10 points.

Lester Hudson had 13 points for Memphis, and Marc Gasol finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds for Memphis.

While Bryant got the franchise record for scoring, the loss prevented Lakers coach Phil Jackson from passing Pat Riley as the winningest coach in regular-season games for Los Angeles. The two are tied at 533.

The game was tied at 88, when Memphis ran the shot clock to near the end before Randolph made a 22-footer for a 90-88 lead with 1:08 left. His two free throws extended the lead to 92-88. Bryant scored on a drive before Gay’s 3-pointer with 29.5 seconds left gave Memphis a 95-90 lead, and the Grizzlies held on.

Memphis got an unexpected offensive boost from Hudson, the rookie shooting guard who was picked up Jan. 8 off waivers from the Celtics.

Hudson had 11 points—his career high—in the second quarter as Memphis extended the lead to 11 before carrying a 52-50 lead into the half as the Lakers outscored Memphis 11-2 to close the half.

Memphis extended the lead to 11 again at the start of the third quarter as the Lakers missed eight of their first nine shots. Meanwhile, Randolph and Gasol were effective inside.

But the Lakers narrowed the deficit again. Bryant’s dunk to pass West’s mark in the third quarter was part of a stretch where Los Angeles closed the quarter on an 18-6 run.

NOTES: Memphis reserve Sam Young, the Grizzlies’ leading scorer off the bench with a 7.5-point average, was inactive because of an allergic reaction. The Lakers wrapped up an eight-game road trip Monday night with a record of 5-3. … After the pre-game introductions, Pau Gasol, who started his career in Memphis, bumped fists all the way down press row to the Grizzlies bench. … The teams were tied at 24 at the end of the first because of a mental lapse by Gay, who thought the game clock was running out and fired up a 47-footer with about 5 seconds left. The errant shot bounced hard off the backboard, and the Lakers moved the ball to Bryant, who connected on a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired.

LAKERS HEAD COACH PHIL JACKSON
 
On Kobe Bryant’s performance:
“At halftime, I told the guys that he was forcing the action and let’s get him over the hump and start playing team ball out there. It didn’t seem like we ever did, did we? It looked like it was Kobe and Ron [Artest] chipped in.”

On the Lakers’ 5-3 road trip:
“We lost in Toronto by a point and this game tonight was a game we probably should have won.”

On the game:
“It was one of the most distracting third quarters I think I’ve ever coached. I think it was a variety of things that went wrong. We couldn’t get things going at the start. It seemed like this quarter took forever. Things went downhill. I had to call an early timeout. It ended up we gave up 18 points and they took the lead. We just didn’t sustain. We needed penetration.”

On the Lakers’ upcoming game against Charlotte:
“I want them to go home and get a good night’s rest and come back tomorrow and think about what’s going on. I wrote on the dry erase board a list of games we have before the All-Star break, a five-game, nine-day situation. All opponents that are very good. We really just can’t take a break. We need to keep going.”

LAKERS GUARD KOBE BRYANT

On becoming the top scoring Laker:
“It’s a great honor to say the least to be with all the great players and the rich tradition that we have. It’s a great accomplishment. [Jerry West] taught me so much when I was 17 years old. He taught me a lot about the game and the rules and on and on. It’s me passing him in the record books, but I feel like it’s us. It’s still Magic [Johnson], it’s still all of the other great players.”

On the road trip:
“It was so-so. It could have been a lot worse with the way we were playing at the start. We got a couple big wins. We found out a lot about ourselves. There were some positive things that happened on this trip. We wish we could have played a lot better. We thought we had the win tonight. We have to continue to move forward. We have a tough one on Wednesday for sure. It’s going to be a tough week.”

On the final shot of the game:
“I had three guys [blocking me]. Ron [Artest] was wide open in the corner. I’d take that look any time. No, I wouldn’t take that shot with three guys. Ron is a 40 percent three-point shooter.”

LAKERS FORWARD PAU GASOL

On the road trip:
“It was so-so. We’re not happy about three losses, but we are happy about the five wins. We lost three tough ones that were very very close that could have gone either way. We won one last night that went that way. We can’t be really happy and should have had a better record on this trip.”

On playing against his brother Marc:
“Before, it was the new thing. Now, it has happened a couple times. We just try to go out there and compete and help our teams win. He’s playing a lot better. He’s doing the little things for his team and contributing. I wish him the best of luck.”

On the Grizzlies:
“They’re really taking care of business. It’s a big chance for them to move up in the standings. I’m glad to see the team doing well. They’re tough. It’s a matter of staying healthy. They play their guys a lot of minutes. At the end, they’re a young team and it catches up to you. Zach’s [Randolph] trade worked out really well. He’s having a great year and his first All-Star nomination. I’m happy for him, too. The young players are developing into really good solid players. Before, it was just talent and now they’re really stepping up and maturing.”

LAKERS FORWARD RON ARTEST

On the game:
“I like their team. They’re explosive. I think they played better than the last time we saw them. They’re a good group. We still should have won the game. We had a lot of turnovers.”

On the final shot of the game:
“Yeah, I thought I had a good look at it. It felt good. I’m looking forward to more looks like that. It was a good pass. It’s hard to be in a situation like that. It was good that Kobe [Bryant] passed the ball. I’ll know what to expect next time. I thought it was good. Next one will go in.”

GRIZZLIES HEAD COACH LIONEL HOLLINS
 
On Kobe Bryant:
”Kobe was not superb in his shooting, but he still had 44 points. He still scored. He did a great job of keeping them in the game and actually gave them the chance to tie the game or win the game. Somebody on our staff just said to let Kobe get his as long as we stop the rest of the guys. He started making jump shots. I thought in the first half, we fouled him unnecessarily. In the second half, he was just trying to win the game. He is a great player.”

On the Lakers’ last possession:
“The previous time he came off and it was so far out I thought he was going to drive again, but he stopped and shot the three. The second time, I said just get over and Marc (Gasol) went out early and they went away from the pick-and-roll and then they came back and Marc wound up having to switch. You can’t give up an open shot at that time. Whatever happens, happens. He makes the shot over Marc (Gasol), so be it. Kobe (Bryant) saw that Rudy Gay was leaving the corner to come and help and he just took it away and jumped up there and threw it. Rudy Gay made a great close-out and challenged (Ron) Artest and made him shoot the ball a little higher then he wanted to. Before the rebound could be secure, the game was over.”

On playing a back-to-back:
“We got the win and we have to go to Cleveland tomorrow. I told the guys in the locker room that it is not like college. You can’t go play Sacred Heart tomorrow, you have the Cleveland Cavaliers. It just keeps coming. That’s the beauty of this game. That is what competition is all about. If you are a competitor, you will get your juices flowing again tomorrow. It was great to get off of the two game losing streak. It was great to start up another win at home again. Also, to get a win against a very superior opponent like the Lakers was great.”

On Marc Gasol:
“Marc (Gasol) was great. Marc (Gasol) didn’t score like he normally does. He missed a few free throws, but he still rebounded and did a good job in the post. He made a big block at the end of the game, I thought one of the bigger plays defensively was when they ran a guard around the elbow and Odom was on his way for a lay-up and Mike Conley stepped in and made him change direction, which caused (Lamar) Odom to miss the shot. I thought our rebounding down the stretch was really good. They were limited to one shot just about every time, which allowed us to stay even or stay ahead. When we were behind, it allowed us to catch up. We stopped them twice. We didn’t score, and then we came back and stopped them again, rebound, then came back and scored. That is what you have to do in that situation.”

On Coach Hollins’ halftime speech:
“Just poise. There is a lot of times that you get fouled and they don’t call it. There’s a lot of times that you foul and they don’t call it. You got to the basket and nobody hits you and they call a foul. That is just part of the game. You cant just whine on every call to the point where you get technical. Ultimately, you just have to go play. The referees in there are not to control the game and dominate the game. They are there to make sure there is no unfair advantage.”

GRIZZLIES FORWARD ZACH RANDOLPH
 
On the win:
” It was a real tough game tonight. We bounced back tough. We were mentally there, we were focused and we got the W.”

On the Lakers’ final play:
“Marc (Gasol) did a great job of switching out on Kobe (Bryant) and staying down on the pump-fake. He got the ball out of his hands. Then Ron Artest took the shot and missed it.”

On the team’s performance:
“These young guys stepped up tonight and played great. Rudy (Gay) hit big shots. O.J. (Mayo) played good. Marc (Gasol) played good. It was just a good all-around game for the whole team.”

On the crowd:
“It was great. We need it like that every game.”

GRIZZLIES GUARD LESTER HUDSON

On preparing for his chance:
“I was ready tonight. I have been working out very hard when I have the chance on off days and after practice.”

On building chemistry with the team:
“I have been getting more comfortable. I’ve been learning the plays, getting to know my teammates and what they like to do. They have been getting to know what I like to do. I am not there yet, but I am getting there.”

On playing with the Grizzlies:
“Yes, I am having a lot of fun. Coach told us to play as hard as we can and have fun.”

On being excited about playing against Kobe Bryant:
“Not during the game, but after the game. I was just trying to go out there and do my job.”

GRIZZLIES GUARD O.J. MAYO

On the win:
“It was very important because we were on a two-game skid. They are the best team in our conference and for us to get a win against them helps us a lot in the standings.”

On Lester Hudson’s performance:
“Lester (Hudson) did a great job. He was ready. We always talk about everyone staying ready because you never know when it’s your night. Sam (Young) was down and Lester stepped up big for us.”

By JEFF MEZYDLO

Posted Jan 31 2010 8:55PM

If Kobe Bryant shoots nearly as well Monday night against Memphis as he did the last time he faced the Grizzlies, the Los Angeles star has a good chance to finally become the Lakers' all-time leading scorer.

As Bryant moves closer to that milestone, the Lakers look to conclude their longest road trip of the season with a fifth consecutive victory while trying for a sixth straight win over the Grizzlies.

The 31-year-old Bryant is 28 points behind Jerry West on the club's all-time scoring list after recording 19 points and hitting the go-ahead basket with 7.3 seconds left to give Los Angeles (37-11) a 90-89 win at Boston on Sunday.

Bryant, who's been bothered by a stiff ankle of late, has 25,164 points during his stellar 14-year career - all with Los Angeles. He's averaging 28.0 per game this season.

"I think it's a remarkable thing," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who needs one victory to pass Pat Riley for the top spot on the Lakers' all-time coaching list with 534. "He's pursuing it, and he's aggressive as an offensive ballplayer and he's going to be scoring for a while."

Though Bryant went 8 of 20 from the field Sunday, the Lakers held Boston to 16 fourth-quarter points to improve to 5-2 on the eight-game trip. Andrew Bynum finished with 19 points with 11 rebounds and helped the Western Conference-leading Lakers outscore the Celtics 18-0 in the paint in the final period.

As Los Angeles looks to conclude an already successful trip on a positive note at Memphis, Bryant has a chance to bounce back from Sunday's performance against a team he's victimized with a big night once this season. Bryant scored 41 points and went 19 for 30 from the field in the Lakers' 114-98 home win over the Grizzlies on Nov. 6.

"For the most part, we played pretty good defense on Kobe, but he hit tough shots,'' Memphis Rudy Gay said after scoring 22 points in that contest.

Bryant's averaging 33.0 points and shooting 51.5 percent in his last six games at Memphis, highlighted by a 60-point effort in a 121-119 Lakers victory there March 22, 2007.

Though the Grizzlies (25-21) are 17-6 at home this season, Los Angeles has won its last four trips to FedEx Forum.

Memphis, in the mix for a playoff spot in the crowded West, had its franchise-record 11-game home winning snapped with a 109-102 overtime loss to New Orleans on Saturday.

Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol had 25 points apiece and combined for 28 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who blew a 21-point, third quarter lead to lose consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 14-16.

"We thought we were going to win, and stopped moving the ball and didn't help each other,'' said Gasol, who'll face his brother, Pau, for the first time this season after the Lakers star missed their first meeting with a strained right hamstring.

"This is a lesson we have to learn.''

Recently named an All-Star reserve, Randolph is averaging 23.9 points with 12.7 boards in his last eight games. He had 21 points and 15 rebounds in the November loss to the Lakers.

Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Kobe Bryant (avulsion fracture, right index finger) is probable.
Sasha Vujacic (strained right hamstring) is probable.
Luke Walton (pinched nerve, back) is probable.

Darrell Arthur (right pectoralis surgery) is out.

SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS
The Lakers lead the season series with Memphis 1-0, after sweeping last season’s series with Memphis 4-0.. This will be the 55th meeting between the two franchises and the 32nd since the Grizzlies moved to Memphis. The Lakers lead the all-time series 41-13 but are just 19-12 versus the Grizzlies since the team moved to Memphis. In their last 10 meetings with Memphis, the Lakers are 8-2, having won five straight and 7 of their last 8 overall. The Lakers are 5-5 in their last 10 home games against Memphis and are 15-5 all-time at STAPLES Center against the Grizzlies. In Memphis, the Lakers have gone 5-5 in their last 10 road games but are winners of their last four straight at FedExForum. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 27-9 against the Grizzlies. In their last meeting of the 2008-09 season 4/12/09 at STAPLES Center, the Lakers held Memphis to a Grizzlies series-low 75 points, surpassing the old record of 79 points set back on 2/14/05 @ Memphis. Individually, Kobe Bryant is averaging 24.2 points for his career against the Grizzlies in 48 games (41 starts). In 2007-08, Bryant scored an NBA season-high 53 points March 28, 2008 at STAPLES Center. Three seasons ago in Memphis, Bryant scored a series-high 60 points, becoming only the 3rd player in NBA history to score 50 or more points in three consecutive games 3/22/07. Additionally, the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie and the draft rights to his brother, Marc Gasol, on February 1, 2008. On December 22, 2008, the brothers Gasol faced off in the NBA for the first time, with Pau (15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks) bettering his brother Marc’s line (8 points,7 rebounds). In four games against his former team, Pau is averaging 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.00 steals and 1.25 blocks. Both brothers played for Spain in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Pau remains the franchise leader in 12 statistical categories, including points (8,966), rebounds (4,096) and blocks (877) in six-plus years with Memphis.

BRYANT 28 POINTS SHY OF JERRY WEST FOR FIRST ON LAKERS ALL-TIME SCORING LIST (14th ON NBA LIST)
With 25,164 points, Kobe Bryant is 28 points shy of Jerry West (25,192) for first on the Lakers all-time scoring list and 14th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. With 22 points 1/5 vs. Houston, Bryant moved past Patrick Ewing (24,815) for 15th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Earlier this season, with 41 points 11/6 vs. Memphis, Bryant moved past Allen Iverson for 16th on the all-time list. Bryant has been steadily moving up the list the last few years and last season alone, passed Charles Barkley (23,757) for 17th, Robert Parish (23,334) for 18th, Adrian Dantley (23,177) for 19th, Elgin Baylor (23,149) for 20th, Clyde Drexler (22,195) for 21st, Gary Payton (21,813) for 22nd and Larry Bird (21,791) for 23rd. Next on the all-time list ahead of Bryant (25,164) are Jerry West (14th/25,192) and Reggie Miller (13th/25,279).
Additionally, with his free throw at the 6:07 mark of the third quarter November 19th vs. Chicago, Bryant moved past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24,176) for 2nd on the Lakers all-time franchise scoring list.

JACKSON TIES PAT RILEY FOR MOST REGULAR SEASON VICTORIES IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
With a victory over the Boston Celtics January 31st, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson (533) matched Pat Riley’s franchise-record 533 regular season victories with the Lakers. The only coach in league history to win better than 70 percent of his games (.707), Jackson ranks 12th in all-time regular season games coached and 1st in playoff games coached (300), won (209) and playoff winning percentage (.697). Last season, Jackson became the fastest coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 career victories, needing 1,423 games to reach the mark, arriving at the mark 11 games earlier than Riley (1,434 career games). Earlier this season, Jackson (1,078) moved past Charlotte Bobcats head coach Larry Brown for 5th on the NBA’s all-time coaching win list with a victory over Detroit (11/17/09). Earning induction in his 1st year of consideration, on September 7, 2007, Jackson was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Owning a record 10 NBA Championships as a head coach, only Jerry Sloan (4th), Pat Riley (3rd), Don Nelson (2nd) and Lenny Wilkens (1st) have more career victories than Jackson while of the top five, Jackson has coached 1,000+ fewer games than Wilkens, 800+ fewer games than Nelson, nearly 500 fewer games than Riley and roughly 400 fewer games than Sloan.

BACK-TO-BACK
Monday’s game against the Grizzlies is the first of a back-to-back set with Boston and Memphis. This season, the Lakers are 9-4 in the first game and 9-3 in the second game of back-to-backs. On the year, the Lakers will play 20 sets of back-to-back games, the most the team has played in a single season since playing 22 sets of back-to- backs during the 1999-00 campaign. Last year, the Lakers played 19 sets of back-to-backs, going 14-5 in the first game and 14-5 in the second as well. Charlotte, Detroit and Milwaukee lead the league with 23 back-to-backs each in 2009-10 while New Orleans (15) and San Antonio (17) will play the fewest sets this season.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR EVERYONE
In the Lakers 118-96 victory January 27th at Indiana, Andrew Bynum (27 points, 12 rebounds), Pau Gasol (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Lamar Odom (12 points, 14 rebounds) all posted double-doubles, marking the fourth time this season that three Lakers have recorded double-doubles in the same game (12/19 at New Jersey: Bryant, Gasol, Odom, 12/29 vs. Golden State: Bryant, Gasol, Odom, 1/13 at Dallas: Bynum, Odom, Artest). Prior to this season, three Lakers had last posted double-doubles in the same game back on March 4, 2008 at Sacramento. In the 2007-08 campaign, three Lakers posted double-doubles in the same game three times: 3/4/08 at SAC, 1/29/08 vs. NY and 11/9/07 vs. MIN. Prior to the 2007-08 season, three Lakers had not posted double-doubles in the same game since 3/27/05 vs. Philadelphia: Bryant (34 points, 10 rebounds), Chris Mihm (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Caron Butler (13 points, 10 rebounds).

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
On Wednesday January 20th, the Lakers headed east to Cleveland, embarking upon their longest road-trip of the season. The Lakers 8-game trip is the team’s 11th stretch of eight or more consecutive road games in franchise history and the 5th in the NBA’s modern era which includes the end of neutral court games prior to the 1974- 75 season and the inception of the 82-game schedule prior to the 1976-77 season. On the 8-game trip that takes them through Cleveland, New York, Toronto, the White House and Verizon Center in Washington DC, Indiana, Philadelphia, Boston and Memphis, the Lakers will travel more than 8,469 miles over 13 days through two countries.