Kobe Bryant scored 13 points in 21 minutes as the Los Angeles Lakers opened preseason play with a 98-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets Monday at the Valley View Casino Center.
The game was Bryant’s first since Dec. 17 when he fractured his left knee in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies, forcing him to miss the final 57 games of the season.
Guard Jordan Clarkson scored a game-high equaling 14 points for the Lakers.
Ty Lawson led Denver with 14.
The game also marked Byron Scott’s debut as the Lakers coach.
— City News Service