Kobe has taken over

The red-hot Lakers go for their sixth straight win on Tuesday, as they host the NBA-worst Memphis Grizzlies at the Staples Center. It is the fourth and final meeting between the squads this season. The Lakers won two of the three previous contest.

The Grizzlies have lost 19 of the 22 meetings at the Lakers.

LA plays the second of a five-game homestand against the Grizzlies. On Sunday, Bryant’s streak of scoring at least 50 points ended, but the Lakers continued their winning ways by defeating the Golden State Warriors, 115-113, at the Staples Center.

Bryant scored 43 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Los Angeles, which has won a season-best five in a row after a seven-game losing streak. Bryant, who hit 15-of-33 shots, had scored at least 50 points in his previous four games, becoming just the second player in NBA history to accomplish that feat.

Lamar Odom added 24 points and a career-high tying 19 rebounds, while Smush Parker added 13 points for LA, which used a 14-0 fourth-quarter run to help eliminate a double-digit deficit and defeat the Warriors.

The Lakers are 23-11 as the host this season. They will also play Houston, Sacramento and Denver on the current homestand. LA is scheduled to host seven of its final 12 games.

Bryant leads the Lakers in scoring (31.0 ppg) and assists (5.4 apg). The superstar guard has scored 25 or more points in 19 straight games. He is averaging 41.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his last 10 outings.

The Lakers final road contests are against the Clippers, Seattle, Denver, Phoenix and Sacramento. Besides Memphis, Houston, the Kings and Nuggets, the Lakers will closeout their home schedule against the Suns, Clippers and SuperSonics.

Los Angeles has scored over 100 points in five straight games.