James closes in on Bryant’s scoring mark

Lakers roll over struggling Nets, Wizards win

>> LOS ANGELES: LeBron James moved a step closer to passing Kobe Bryant on the all-time NBA scoring list with his 10th triple double of the season as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Brooklyn Nets 128-113 on Thursday.

James finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to post his 91st career triple double in front of a crowd of 17,700 at Barclays Arena that included former US president Bill Clinton.

James received a standing ovation from the Brooklyn crowd when he left the game for good late in the fourth quarter with the Lakers holding a big lead.

There was so little defence played in the first half of Thursday’s contest that for a while it appeared James might have a chance at catching Bryant for third place on the NBA all-time scoring list.

James ended the game at 33,626 points, 17 shy of Bryant. His next chance at passing Bryant will be tomorrow morning, Thai time, in Philadelphia.

“To be linked with the greats that means a lot to me,” said James, who was named a starter for the 2020 NBA all-star game earlier in the day. “I grew up idolising

Michael [Jordan] and Kobe, gaining inspiration from their crafts and their stories.”

James shot 11 of 19 from the floor as the Lakers shot 50 percent overall and hit a season-high 19 three-pointers.

Anthony Davis added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Kyle Kuzma had 16 as the Lakers got 55 points from their bench. Danny Green hit four three-pointers and contributed 14 points.

The Nets dropped their fifth straight game and fell to 2-12 in their last 14 games.

Kyrie Irving scored a team high 20 points, Taurean Prince added 18 while Caris LeVert contributed 16 as the Nets lost despite hitting 21 three-pointers.

At Cleveland, Bradley Beal scored 36 points as Washington posted a 124-112 victory over Cleveland.

Beal made 15 of 22 shots, one night after going 16 of 24 during a 38-point performance in the Wizards’ 134-129 overtime loss at Miami.

Davis Bertans scored 17 points to avenge a porous performance in Washington’s 113-100 loss to Cleveland on Nov. 8. Ish Smith chipped in 17 points for the

Wizards, who shot 55.3 percent from the field (47 of 85) and 44.4 percent from 3-point range (16 of 36) to improve to 6-18 on the road this season.

Collin Sexton highlighted his 29-point performance by making 10 of 15 shots from the floor for the Cavaliers, who have lost six in a row and 11 of their last 13 games. Larry Nance Jr. collected a careerhigh-tying 22 points along with 12 rebounds while Kevin Love added 21 points for Cleveland.

At Portland, Luka Doncic was named as an All-Star starter for the first time, and the 20-year-old celebrated by posting 27 points and nine assists to lead Dallas past Portland 113-125

Doncic was one of seven Mavericks to score in double digits, with Kristaps Porzingis contributing 20 points, and Jalen Brunson and Seth Curry adding 17 points apiece as Dallas won for the fifth time in the

The Lakers’ LeBron James, right, shoots over the Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie at Barclays Center.

past six games.

Damian Lillard made eight 3-pointers and had 47 points and eight assists for Portland as part of a stellar two-game run. He set franchise records of 61 points and 11 3-pointers in Monday’s overtime win against the Golden State Warriors. Trevor Ariza added a season-best 21 points in his first game with the Trail Blazers after being acquired from the Sacramento Kings. AFP/REUTERS