
ATLANTA — Kobe Bryant reached a career milestone and helped the Los Angeles Lakers win for only the second time this season.
Bryant scored 28 points, surpassing 32,000 for his career, and led the Lakers to a 114-109 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday at Philips Arena.
Bryant joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Michael Jordan as the only four players to reach 32,000 points in their career. Bryant needs 291 more points to catch Jordan (32,292).
Bryant scored nine in the fourth quarter, including a vintage fade-away jumper, followed by a free throw that put the Lakers up six with one minute left.
Hawks guard Kyle Korver hit a deep 3-point to cut the deficit to two, 111-109, with 7.7 seconds to play. Lakers point guard Ronnie Price made one of two free throws, but Hawks center Pero Antic missed an open 3-pointer that would have tied it.
Lakers guard Nick Young made his season debut, after being out nearly six weeks with a torn ligament in his right thumb. The charismatic Young provided early energy, coming off the bench in the first quarter and draining a 3-pointer off a pass from Bryant at the end of the first quarter. He finished with 17 points.
Atlanta forward Paul Millsap had 29 points, and point guard Jeff Teague added 23. A flying Teague dunk from the middle of the lane followed by a Millsap 3-pointer cut the Lakers’ lead to 103-100 with 2:52 to play. But the Hawks could never get the lead in the second half and suffered their first home loss of the season.
Los Angeles forward Jordan Hill, who played his high school ball in Atlanta, finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers.
The Lakers controlled the first half behind 19 points from Bryant and 18 from forward Carlos Boozer.
Los Angeles shot 61.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Hawks by seven in the first half.
The Hawks scored the first 13 points of the second half, highlighted by Thabo Sefolsha’s open-court steal from Bryant and dunk that cut the Lakers’ lead to two. Bryant was scoreless in the third quarter, but L.A. was able to hold off Atlanta’s challenge and took a 91-83 lead into the fourth quarter on a corner 3-pointer from Young.
NOTES: Hawks F DeMarre Carroll missed his fourth straight game with a groin strain. … The Lakers were missing F Ryan Kelly (hamstring), G Wayne Ellington (personal), PG Steve Nash and F Julius Randle (leg). … Ellington is expected to rejoin the Lakers later this week. His father was killed in a shooting last week in Philadelphia. … Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told a Los Angeles radio station Tuesday that he “hopes they (Lakers) suck forever.” The Lakers are at Dallas on Friday. … Referees were Scott Foster, Eli Roe and Michael Smith.