The Los Angeles Lakers opened their pre-season game against the Denver Nuggets in San Diego. All eyes were on the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant as he was making his return to the basketball court after a pair of serious injuries. The question was, would Kobe Bryant play like the Kobe of old?

Kobe answered that question in the opening minutes of the game. After an air ball on his first shot, Kobe followed with a couple of fade away jumpers and racked up 6 points and 4 assists on 3-of-6 shooting in the first quarter. However, his team was down 2 entering the second quarter. Steve Nash was phenomenal as well, scoring 7 points in the first quarter to lead the Lakers.

The game remained competitive in the second period as both teams went with their young players. Gary Harris was impressive for the Nuggets. For the Lakers, it was Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, whose first points came on a monster throw down over Denver’s rookie Jusuf Nurkic. Ed Davis was also remarkable, finishing the game with 12 points and 4 blocks on 6-for-7 shooting.

However, the Nuggets took a 54-51 lead into intermission. No team led by more than 5 points in that entertaining first half.

In the second half, Kobe continued to dominate, showing some of his footwork and head fakes. Kobe added 7 more points in the second half to end the game with a total of 13 to go along with 5 assists. For the Nuggets, Ty Lawson was carving up the Lakers defense and taking it strong to the hole. He led Denver with 14 points and 6 assists. Kenneth Faried, who just agreed to a five-year contract extension with the team, was quiet in this one, scoring just 6 points on 0-4 from the field to go along with only 1 rebound.

Led by Kobe, Hill, and Nash, the Lakers jumped on top by 4 points to end the third quarter. Jordan Hill finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and snatching 11 rebounds.

In a tight fourth quarter, both teams went to their bench. Erick Green delivered for the Nuggets, displaying some of his craftiness and athleticism on offense, while Harris continued to show his ability to shoot. Harris finished with 11 points and Green with 10. The game came down to the wire, with the Lakers owning a two-point lead with 21 seconds left, and they had the ball. Denver decided not to foul. Instead, Jeremy Lin brought the ball down court and slipped on a wet spot but was able to get rid of the ball. Ed Davis picked up the loose ball and passed it quickly to Wayne Ellington who found Julius Randle alone under the basket for a wide open jam, and that sealed the victory for Los Angeles.

The Lakers finished with a 98-95 win in their pre-season opener. The question was answered. Kobe Bryant certainly looked like his old self, knocking down fade away jumpers, play making, and defending well. He looked spry out on the floor tonight, and it may be because he was excited to be back on the court. Nash, who missed 67 games last season, looked great as well. He was moving well, play making, and getting to the basket.

Some key players for the Nuggets did not play, including J.J. Hickson, JaVale McGee, Nate Robinson, and Danilo Gallinari.

After the game, Kobe Bryant spoke to reporters about his condition. “It felt good, felt fine…This is the healthiest I’ve been in a couple years now,” Bryant said. That is absolutely a terrific sign for the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans.

The Denver Nuggets play their next game on October 8 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Meanwhile, the Lakers will play on October 9 against the Golden State Warriors.

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About the author
Vahan Shakhpazyan
Vahan Shakhpazyan loves the NBA with a passion and has been an avid follower for 18 years. He is a UCR graduate with a BA degree in Creative Writing. The man behind the Facebook page NBA updates.