Highlights From The NBA: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Tim Duncan

While the Celtics continue to finalize their trade of Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks this morning, we’re back with another week of our weekly highlight reel. And, along with the top plays, this week brought yet another Kobe Bryant milestone as he passed Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list when the Lakers played the Timberwolves on Sunday (December 14).

Watch Kobe sink point number 32,293 with a free-throw below to become the 3rd highest scorer ever in the NBA.

Take a look at our round-up of the week’s best plays after the jump.

It’s hard to top back-to-back buzzer beaters, but in a game between the Grizzlies and the Spurs on Wednesday (December 17), it was an even more special occasion as two big men sunk late and long-range shots in a game that ended up being won by the Mavs in a single-point victory in triple overtime.

Watch Marc Gasol sink an off-the-glass three pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime after Danny Green hit his own late three just seconds before.

And then, Tim Duncan confirming his clutchness with another buzzer beater—kind of similar to another one ten years ago—to send the game into double-overtime.

Here’s Lebron James showing Thabo Sefolosha of the Hawks why you don’t reach for the ball against him—because he’s gonna cross you, and then kick it out to Matthew Dellavedova for an open three.

In a similar play from another game, Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry pulled off a double-crossover like Tim Hardaway might have a couple decades ago and found his open teammate behind the three-point line against the Magic.

Reaching back to last week, the Chicago Bulls’ rising star Nikola Mirotic and Kirk Hinrich turned a blooper-worthy play into a highlight against Portland. In the clip below Hinrich, with a crazy behind-the-back, off-someone’s-head pass, dishes it to Mirotic for an easy fastbreak dunk.

After a knee injury has kept him out of the last 11 games for the Rockets, Dwight Howard made his return to the tune of a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds in a win against the Nuggets. Among the three blocks Dwight Howard had in the game, this denial below made for an easy highlight reel pick.

Here’s a heartwarming, off-the-court highlight story from Brooklyn. Combo guard Jarret Jack has been in the NBA since the 2005 draft when he was selected 22nd overall by the Denver Nuggets after leaving Georgia Tech as a junior. Nearly ten years later, Jack returned to Georgia Tech to graduate after spending time over the last couple summers completing his degree. Here’s Jack alongside Georgia Tech running-back Deon Hill in cap and gown, a 9-year veteran of the NBA.

The 76ers are 2-22 going into their game against the Hornets tonight. It’s been a tough, tiring season for Philly already this year, and yet they still need a little highlight reel love. Here’s Ronald Roberts, who until earlier this week was playing for Philly’s development team the Delaware 87ers, warming up with a crazy dunk during the pregame to a matchup last week.

This is hilarious. After Marreese Speights randomly lost his shoe in the middle of a play against the Mavericks this week, Steph Curry scooped it up—while still holding the ball—and then later tried to throw it to his teammate as they ran back for defense. Dallas center Tyson Chandler, ever in game-mode, saw the object flying in the air and swatted it down before Speights could get his hands on it.