SACRAMENTO, California — Kobe Bryant passed Wilt Chamberlain for fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list Saturday to help the Los Angeles Lakers to a much-needed 103-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Bryant's jump shot with 7:54 to play in the first half gave him 31,421 career points, taking him past Chamberlain's total of 31,419. Bryant, who went into the game trailing Chamberlain by four points, is behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928) and Michael Jordan (32,292). Bryant had passed former teammate Shaquille O'Neal for fifth place on the list. But Bryant said passing Chamberlain, an NBA icon with Philadelphia ties like himself, was special. “He was such a warm-hearted gentleman, I have nothing but praise for him. To pass him up is a huge honor to say the least,” Bryant said. Bryant has insisted he's more concerned with gaining a sixth NBA title, and the 34-year-old has a battle on his hands with the Lakers struggling to make the playoffs this season. The Lakers limped into Sacramento, the final stop in a four-game road trip, with Bryant fighting pain from a bone spur in his left foot, an injury that apparently is not related to his sprained left ankle. Mavericks 100, Bulls 98: Dirk Nowitzki hit a three-pointed with two second left on the clock to earn the Dallas Mavericks a 100-98 win over the Chicago Bulls. Down by 12 with four minutes to play, the Mavericks (36-37) staged a fourth quarter rally to remain within striking distance of the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Nowitzki finished with a season-high 35 points while Vince Carter and Brandan Wright both had 17 coming off the bench. Nate Robinson, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng each scored 25 points for Chicago (39-32). Jazz 116, Nets 107: Randy Foye scored 26 points, including eight three-pointers, as the Utah Jazz tamed the Brooklyn Nets 116-107 on Saturday to stretch their winning streak to four games and maintain a hold on the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. Center Al Jefferson and guard Mo Williams each contributed 20 points to the Jazz (38-36) effort. Thunder 109, Bucks 99: Russell Westbrook posted a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 109-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Oklahoma, chasing the San Antonio Spurs for top spot in the Western Conference, took charge late in the fourth quarter using a 17-2 run to flip a five-point deficit into a double-digit lead. Kevin Durant had 30 points to pace the Thunder, who have won four of their last five. Ersan Ilyasova led Milwaukee with 29 points and 14 rebounds. Rockets 98, Clippers 81: Jeremy Lin, Francisco Garcia and Chandler Parsons each had 15 points while Omer Asik contributed a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds powering the Houston Rockets to a 98-81 win over the weary Los Angeles Clippers. Even without injured James Harden the Rockets (40-33) had enough offensive muscle to dispose of the weary Clippers (49-25) who were playing their fourth game in five nights. Chris Paul had 19 points to pace the Clippers while Blake Griffin was held to 12. Grizzlies 99, Timberwolves 86: Pau Gasol drained 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies mauled the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-86 to end a five-game road losing streak. Sixers 100, Bobcats 92: Jrue Holiday scored nine of his 14 points in the last 5:24 as the Philadelphia 76ers outlasted the Charlotte Bobcats 100-92 for their third straight victory. Hawks 97, Magic 88: Josh Smith and Ivan Johnson each potted 21 points as the Atlanta Hawks rolled to a 97-88 win over the Orlando Magic. Beno Udrih had 20 points and seven rebounds and Nikola Vucevic 17 points and 15 boards in a losing cause for the Magic. Elsewhere it was: Memphis 99, Minnesota 86; Indiana 112, Phoenix 104; Golden State 125, Portland 98. — Agencies
