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The Los Angeles Lakers are not a very good basketball team, which has caused many NBA observers (including me) to term the franchise's 2014-15 season little more than a chance for longtime superstar Kobe Bryant to build on his already very impressive career statistics. Bryant is still a ways off from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record, but he's set to pass some big names and reach other milestones throughout the 82-game schedule. Not all his records will be fully positive , but they all speak to the impact that Kobe has had on the sport and league. It's unclear if Lakers fans will take comfort in this historic silver lining to a lost season, but it figures that at least a few notable milestones will occur on nights in which the Lakers look pretty good. That's exactly what happened in Tuesday night's road game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Lakers got off to a fast start and led by 15 at the half, only to see the hosts battle back and turn it into a close game in the final minutes. With the Lakers up 105-102 and roughly 1:20 left on the clock, Bryant backed down Thabo Sefolosha, fought through some quality defense, and nailed a turnaround jumper through a foul to give his team a two-possession lead. The shot also gave Kobe 32,000 points for his career, putting him alongside Kareem, Karl Malone, and Michael Jordan as the only players to reach the milestone. Here's the play: Bryant hit the free throw to put the Lakers up 108-102 on their way to an eventual 114-109 win . The Hawks battled in the second half to cut the deficit, but they have little to show for their efforts. Unless you count Jeff Teague's really awesome dunk past Jordan Hill with 3:26 left in the game: Los Angeles is now 2-9 on the season but 2-0 against the woeful Eastern Conference. Perhaps their overall record would be more impressive if they were located on the opposite coast. Kobe finished the night with 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting, the first time he has been 45 percent or better on field goals in a game this season. At 32,001 career points, he is now only 291 points behind Michael Jordan for third on the all-time NBA list. If he maintains his current points-per-game average of 27.36, then Bryant will pass Jordan some time during the team's December 9 home game with the Sacramento Kings. It's also possible that the Lakers will have more wins whenever Kobe surpasses His Airness. While the Lakers have not impressed, all nine of their losses have come against teams in the top 10 of the Western Conference standings. Their next batch of games features a few more tough tests, but also contests with fellow cellar-dwellers like the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. Their luck could turn soon. If it doesn't, at least fans will have a chance to see Kobe make more history. There are certainly worse ways to pass the time with non-contending teams. - - - - - - - Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @FreemanEric
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