| | INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Kobe Bryant made his season debut for
the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night and picked up right where he left off -- shooting.
Bryant scored 19 points in 30 minutes as the Lakers routed the
Golden State Warriors, 93-75. But the star guard, who chose to
announce his return via his Web site, made just 7-of-18 shots
and committed four fouls.
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| Bryant |
"I was a little tired at first but then I got my second wind,"
Bryant said. "My legs felt a little heavy which is kind of
natural. I was just out there playing."
"Kobe is going to find a way to score whether he is shooting
well or not," Lakers coach Phil Jackson conceded. "That is the
mentality he brings to the game. ... He is just a wild,
compulsive kid right now."
Just 21, Bryant was greeted by a rousing ovation before the game
and a standing ovation when he entered the contest late in the
first quarter. He wore a protective purple glove over his right
hand but said it did not effect his game.
"It doesn't bother me at all. I have been shooting with it the
last couple of days," he said. "Shaquille O'Neal said when I
made my first bucket I should do like a little Michael Jackson."
Bryant missed the first 15 games of the season with a broken
bone but Los Angeles went 11-4 in his absence. He is expected
to thrive with O'Neal and Glen Rice in Jackson's triangle
offense.
"It makes me feel good," said Rice, who scored 10 points on just
4-of-16 shooting. "Now all I have to do is step up and hit the
shots. I'm going to have a lot more opportunities and have to
be ready to knock down those shots. With his ability to
penetrate and get the ball up the floor very quickly, I have got
to deliver my package."
"The big key is he disrupts the team on defense," Jackson added.
"That's the one thing they will have to learn."
Bryant suffered the injury in Los Angeles' first exhibition game
and has missed seven weeks. He was forced to wear a cast to
protect the fractured fourth metacarpal bone in the hand.
On Tuesday, the cast was removed and Bryant revealed he is
putting it up for bid on eBay, a public auction Web site.
In his fourth year directly out of high school, Bryant played in
all 50 games last season and registered 19.9 points, 5.3
rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He became the youngest
All-Star in NBA history in 1998.
To make room for Bryant, the Lakers placed rookie forward Devean
George on the injured list. George played four minutes in
Tuesday's 101-77 win at Seattle and scored six points but now is
sidelined with a bruised right knee.
George, the 23rd overall draft pick from Diviison III Augsburg
College in Minnesota, has averaged 3.9 points and 1.5 rebounds
in 13 games. | |
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