The Los Angeles Lakers used a strong second quarter to turn a deficit into a 57-49 halftime lead over the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Pau Gasol led a balanced Laker attack with 10 points, and grabbed four rebounds in the opening 24 minutes. Kobe Bryant scored all nine of his first-half points in the first quarter, and moved closer to another scoring milestone.
Bryant now has 26,503 points in his career, which is the fourth highest total with one team in NBA history. He needs nine more points to pass Hakeem Olajuwon, who scored 26,511 points for the Houston Rockets, for third place on the list:
| Most Points For One Franchise, NBA History |
|||
| Player | Team | Years | Points |
| Karl Malone | Jazz | 1985-2003 | 36,374 |
| Michael Jordan | Bulls | 1984-93,94-98 | 29,277 |
| Hakeem Olaujwon | Rockets | 1984-2001 | 26,511 |
| Kobe Bryant | Lakers | 1996-present | 26,503 |
| John Havlicek | Celtics | 1962-1978 | 26,395 |
| Reggie Miller | Pacers | 1987-2005 | 25,279 |
| Jerry West | Lakers | 1960-1974 | 25,192 |
The Lakers shot 53.8% in the first half, compared to 41.9% for Toronto. In addition, the Lakers out-rebounded the Raptors, 24-15. The Lakers were quite efficient in the first half, scoring 1.17 points per possession, compared to 1.00 for Toronto. Andrew Bynum, playing his fourth game of the season, scored eight points, grabbed two rebounds, and blocked a shot in his eight first-half minutes, and altered a few plays at the rim. Bynum shot a team-high eight free throws, making six.
Amir Johnson led the Raptors with 12 first-half points, making six of his nine field goal attempts.
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