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Wednesday, Dec. 1 10:30pm ET
Kobe back after being out for 7 weeks | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson described Kobe Bryant as "just a wild, impulsive kid right now." The wild, impulsive kid was good enough to score 19 points in his first game of the season as the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 93-75 Wednesday night.
Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA's player of the month for November, had 28 points, 23 rebounds and four blocked shots before sitting out the fourth quarter as the Lakers won their fourth straight game. Bryant, who also had six rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes, returned to action exactly seven weeks after breaking his right hand in the Lakers' first preseason game. Bryant, who wore a protective pad on his shooting hand, averaged 19.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season. Now 21, he joined the Lakers straight out of high school in 1996. He wasn't shy about shooting in his season debut, putting up 18 shots and making seven. "I felt good just getting out there and playing, it was a rush," Bryant said. "My timing was off. My wind was pretty good. I felt tired at first. Then I got my second wind. My legs were a little heavy. "I expect to be rusty for a little bit, I haven't played in so long." When asked whether he was ready to start Friday night against the powerful Portland Trail Blazers, Bryant replied, "Am I ready to start Friday? I'm ready to start wearing people out." Jackson said Bryant would not be in the starting lineup against the Blazers, and when asked how he would grade Bryant's performance, replied, "I would say by the end of the year we would give this a D or a C. It was sub-par. He's still in preseason form, I think. He's still feeling his way." O'Neal, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds in the first half, said he believed Bryant played well considering it was his first game. "He got a lot of rust off," O'Neal said. "Friday's going to be the true test. He just has to get used to the building, used to the floor, used to the people. He's going to be fine." The Lakers had an 11-4 record without Bryant -- much better than most expected. The injury-depleted Warriors lost for the seventh straight time. Chris Carr, who signed with Golden State earlier Wednesday, and Mookie Blaylock led the Warriors with 13 points each. "They got a lead on us by really hammering us on the boards, which is something that has always been our one constant," Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "We missed a lot of pretty open shots, but if your shots aren't going, you've got to do some other things -- defend, rebound, give the ball to somebody else." Some in the Staples Center crowd of 17,689 began a "Kobe" chant before the game was a minute old, and many stood and cheered when he entered the game with 2:54 left in the first quarter and the Lakers leading 19-17. There were audible groans when Bryant missed his first shot some 90 seconds later, and raucous cheers when he scored his first basket with 15 seconds left in the opening period. The Lakers went ahead for good in the opening two minutes of play. They led 21-18 entering the second period, and 27-25 before running off 11 straight points to blow the game open. It was 42-28 at halftime, and 66-48 after three quarters. Bryant scored the first five points of the final period to give the Lakers a 25-point lead.
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Golden State Clubhouse LA Lakers Clubhouse Bryant returns to action with Lakers
RECAPS Cleveland 111 Washington 108
LA Lakers 93
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