Kobe Bryant always credits his mentors and teachers when he rolls past a scoring milestone. Given the manner in which he hit his latest superlative, he felt it was only appropriate to give a nod to Hakeem Olajuwon.

Bryant scored 41 points while becoming the youngest player to reach 24,000, leading the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

Scoring basket after basket on turnaround jumpers and inside moves against the undersized Memphis defenders in the low post, Bryant carried the Lakers while reaching the milestone 38 days before Wilt Chamberlain did. With a second-half surge from his growing repertoire of inside moves, he even overtook Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson for 16th place on the NBA's career scoring list.

Bryant visited Olajuwon over the summer to learn more about low-post play, and the Houston Rockets' famed center provided Kobe with even more skills to keep knocking down scoring marks.

"You think back on all the years I've been here, all the mentors I've had," Bryant said. "I've learned everything from other guys that have been here. There's nothing original in my game."

Even if Bryant doesn't invent, there are nights when he perfects - and the rest of the Lakers were grateful for his attention to detail.

Ron Artest had 19 points and seven assists in the fourth straight win for the defending NBA champions, who played without injured big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Lamar Odom managed just three points before fouling out on his 30th birthday, but Bryant and Artest probably can carry the Lakers until they're whole again.