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 Forward Amir Johnson scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds,
leading the Raptors to a 106-94 victory over the Lakers before a
sellout crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center on Sunday night.
Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points and made three steals,
while guard Kyle Lowery added 23 points, eight assists and three
steals.
"My job is to close out the game. That's what I did," said DeRozan,
who scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter. "They got the
ball in my hands, and I just tried to be aggressive."
Bryant, playing for the first time since going down almost eight
months ago with a torn left Achilles tendon, finished with nine
points, eight rebounds and eight turnovers in 28 minutes.
The win allowed the Raptors (7-12) to end a five-game losing streak
and snap a 10-game skid in road games against the Lakers (10-10).
Toronto last defeated the Lakers at Staples Center on Dec. 28, 2001,
when they recorded an 89-86 win.
"We were just reading the situation better tonight," DeRozan said.
"We knew what they were going to do. We just tried to take advantage
of that. One thing we did was play hard and play smart."
Toronto won despite playing without star forward Rudy Gay, reserve
center Aaron Gray and forward Quincy Acy. The three were dealt to
the Sacramento Kings in a seven-player trade that was still pending
before the game. The swap is expected to be approved by the NBA on
Monday.
Even short-handed, the Raptors spoiled the return of Bryant.
"Everyone saw Kobe come back and the trade and all of that, but our
guys have to be disciplined and not get caught up in all of the
hoopla," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "No matter what happens,
we've got to be focused. We can't control who's in uniform, who's
traded."
Bryant, who had the crowd roaring as soon as he and the Lakers took
the floor for pregame warm-ups, showed rust, air-balling his first
shot. He committed three of the Lakers' nine turnovers in the first
half, scored five points on 2-of-5 shooting, pulled down four
rebounds and dished out three assists before the break. "It's kind of feeling things out now," said Bryant, who hit
only two of nine field-goal attempts and admitted he had trouble
finding a comfort zone. "I'm pleased I was able to move and turn
the corner a little bit. The rhythm is completely out of synch.
It's a start."
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Bryant said his first game back felt "really weird."
"It's a matter of getting those game legs back," he said.
DeRozan said, "He was a little rusty. You could tell a lot of
his shots were short, but he's going to get it back going. I
think he'll get back to the old Kobe."
Forward Nick Young led the Lakers with 19 points and forward
Xavier Henry had 17. Guard Jodie Meeks finished with 14 points.
No Lakers starter scored in double figures.
Bryant hit two free throws to pull the Lakers to within 89-85
with 4:50 remaining, but a 6-0 Toronto spurt boosted the
Raptors' lead back to double digits. That was too much for the
Lakers to overcome.
The Lakers closed the third quarter with a 10-1 run, cutting
Toronto's advantage to 73-68.
The Raptors led by as many as 13 points in the first half before
settling for a 51-47 halftime lead. Johnson, who finished
14-for-17 from the floor, scored 23 of his points in the first
half. DeRozan had 10 points in the half.
Guard Terrence Ross hit a 3-point shot from beyond half-court to
end the first quarter, giving the Raptors a 30-20 lead.
NOTES: Lakers G Kobe Bryant entered the game averaging 28.3
points per game in 29 previous contests against the Raptors. It
is the second-highest scoring average for an opposing player
against Toronto, with Allen Iverson's 29.7 points in 38 games
ranked first. ... Toronto G DeMar DeRozan topped 5,000 career
points in the first half. DeRozan, a Los Angeles native, is one
of only five players in franchise history to top the mark. Chris
Bosh (10,275), Vince Carter (9,420), Andrea Bargnani (6,581),
Morris Peterson (6,498) and Jose Calderon (5,235) are the
others. ... Raptors PF Tyler Hansbrough missed the game with a
sprained left shoulder. His status is unknown. ... Lakers PF
Chris Kaman sat out with back spasms. He is listed as
day-to-day. ... The Lakers held a moment of silence before the
game in memory of former South African president Nelson Mandela.
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