Hooped Up

With his latest 50 point game, Kobe Bryant took over the NBA scoring lead from Nuggets Carmelo Anthony. It’s the first time Anthony hasn’t led since games entering Nov. 18. Bryant is averaging 30.0 points to 29.75 for Anthony.

“We talked about going to Kobe early in games and not waiting,” coach Phil Jackson said. “He had been playing the team role, feeling the game out and waiting ’til the second half to get going. But there’s just not enough time right now in the season to develop that.”

Rocky Mountain News