Roundball Daily Round-Up (Feb 1st): Red-Hot Kobe and Lakers Fall To Grizzlies

There were several good matchups around the NBA Monday night, with a pair of those games coming right down to the final seconds.

Memphis Grizzlies 95, Los Angeles Lakers 93

In Memphis, after battling back-and-forth for most of the game, the Grizzlies were able to strip the ball out of a red-hot Kobe Bryant's hands on the final possession, forcing Ron Artest to attempt a game-winning three-pointer.

The shot clanged off the far side of the rim, and the Grizzlies had themselves a 95-93 victory.

Meanwhile, Bryant became the Lakers' all-time leading scorer with a fastbreak layup in the third quarter. 

Denver Nuggets 112, Sacramento Kings 109 (OT)

Elsewhere, the Nuggets, after rallying from a 17-point deficit to force overtime against the Kings, pulled it out after Arron Afflalo was able to knock down a go-ahead pull-up jumper from the baseline with little time remaining.

For the second straight game, Kenyon Martin was huge in the injured Carmelo Anthony's stead, going for 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 109, New Orleans Hornets 100

After enjoying a double-digit lead throughout much of the night, the Phoenix Suns were able to fight off the New Orleans Hornets late and win their 29th game of the season.

The Hornets, playing for the first time since it was announced that point guard Chris Paul will have arthroscopic knee surgery, got 16 points and 14 assists from replacement Darren Collison but didn't have enough in the end to answer the 25 points and 12 rebounds from Amar'e Stoudemire.

Milwaukee Bucks 97, Miami Heat 81

Just two days after beating the Heat 95-84 in Milwaukee, the Bucks marched into Miami and made it look even easier. 

The Bucks used a 33-21 second quarter to take command of the game and never looked back from there. They were helped by double-doubles from both Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino.

Boston Celtics 99, Washington Wizards 88

Despite lacking the services of Paul Pierce down the stretch due to an ankle/foot injury, Boston was able to ward off Washington's attack, dominating the Wizards by a score of 25-10 in the fourth quarter.

Just one game removed from racking up 21 points and 23 rebounds against the Knicks, Antawn Jamison struggled throughout this game, shooting just 2-for-17 from the field, which was good for eight points.

Utah Jazz 104, Dallas Mavericks 92

After a close game for the first three quarters, the Jazz used a huge fourth quarter surge to take down the Mavericks and earn their sixth consecutive victory.

Utah cranked the energy up a notch in the final period, repeatedly beating Dallas down the floor on the offensive end for easy baskets, while subsequently forcing the Mavs into several costly turnovers that proved to be the difference in the game.

Deron Williams was three rebounds shy of a triple-double, and Paul Millsap finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks for the Jazz.

Portland Trail Blazers 98, Charlotte Bobcats 79

The Blazers didn't need Andre Miller to score 52 points in order to win their second straight game. Instead, they were carried by six players who reached double figures (Miller not included) in order to easily defeat the Bobcats in Portland.

Gerald Wallace had a double-double, and Stephen Jackson scored 23 points, but it wasn't anywhere near enough for Charlotte to successfully stretch its win streak to four.

Top Five of the Night (Or, in this case, Top Eight of the Night)

1. Kobe Bryant (LAL): 44 points (16-28 FG, 4-7 3pt, 8-13 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists

2. Zach Randolph (MEM): 22 points (9-18 FG, 4-5 FT), 17 rebounds, 1 assist

3a. Paul Millsap (UTA): 25 points (10-16 FG, 5-6 FT), 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal

3b. Amar'e Stoudemire (PHX): 25 points (10-20 FG, 5-8 FT), 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

3c. Kenyon Martin (DEN): 24 points (10-15 FG, 4-8 FT), 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, one steal

4a. Deron Williams (UTA): 17 points (7-15 FG, 1-5 3pt, 3-3 FT), 15 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals

4b. Darren Collison (NO): 16 points (7-18 FG, 1-3 3pt, 1-1 FT), 14 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

5. Andrew Bogut (MIL): 22 points (10-13 FG, 2-3 FT), 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block