|
 Bryant made his anticipated season debut in front of a frenzied
Staples Center crowd, showing small hints of old form but mostly
looking out of sorts as the Lakers were defeated by the Toronto
Raptors 106-94.
In his first NBA action since he tore his left Achilles in April,
the 35-year-old Bryant tested his surgically repaired foot during 28
minutes that saw him record nine points, eight rebounds and eight
turnovers.
The Lakers all-time leading scorer made just two of nine shots and
conceded that Sunday's return was just the first of many hurdles to
come.
"I'm still feeling it out a little bit. My rhythm is completely out
of sync," Bryant told reporters. "It's a start. The last time I had
eight months off, I was still in the womb."
Bryant's arrival was a rebirth of sorts for the Los Angeles crowd
who showered him with boisterous cheers from the moment he walked
into the arena.
He received a standing ovation during pregame warm-ups and chants
of "KO-BE" filled the air prior to tipoff.
Looking less explosive than usual, Bryant picked his spots carefully
and was more of a willing passer than aggressive shooter.
He missed his first couple of shots and did not register a point
until converting a free throw with 6:26 remaining in the first half. By then the Lakers (10-10) were playing from behind, they
trailed the entire game, and Bryant was not only trying to catch
up to Toronto (7-12) but to his new teammates as well.
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The 18-year veteran had never played with many of the Los
Angeles players, and that was all too evident by his many errant
passes and misconnections.
"You play training camp and (19) games, you play a certain way,
and when that is disrupted there are times when you don't know
where to go," said Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni.
"One game is not going to kill us. We're going to get through
this."
Midway through the fourth quarter, with his team trailing 89-81,
Bryant re-entered the game and had a chance to save the Lakers
as he has on many occasions before.
But on this night, Bryant's superhuman feats were grounded and
he went the entire second half without a field goal.
"I don't feel normal at all," he said. "I couldn't wait to start
watching film and start criticizing every little thing. That's
the exciting part.
"You sit and watch and break it down and get ready for the next
game."
(Editing by Patrick Johnston)
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