Kobe Bryant Dunks on Nikola Pekovic (VIDEO)

Mamba set the tone early in L.A.

Early in the first quarter of the Lakers’ easy 116-94 victory against the Timberwolves, Kobe Bryant blew baseline and rose above Nikola Pekovic for a big jam. The only person in the building who wasn’t impressed? Dwight Howard, of course. Per the LA Daily News: “The 34-year-old guard Kobe Bryant shot, soared and dazzled his way to 33 points on 13 of 22 shooting in only three quarters. ‘I’ve been in attack mode since the [All-Star] break,’ Bryant said. ‘It’s go time.’ Go time it is. Bryant opened the game with a right-handed dunk over Nikola Pekovic. A quarter later, Bryant sped past Ricky Rubio for another dunk. Just before halftime, Bryant went in for a reverse layup. Bryant’s not surprised this happened after shedding 16 pounds this offseason. But he is surprised this happened by immediately showing his athleticism despite only having pre-game warmups to loosen up his body. ‘I can get to the rim a lot more,’ Bryant said. ‘We’re more spread so I can attack the basket. My passing and teammates knocking down shots opens up the floor more. I’m a lot stronger and healthier this time around than I was last year.’ [...] Yet, some remain unimpressed. When asked to judge Bryant’s dunks, Lakers center Dwight Howard suddenly turned serious. ‘I’m not going to say anything,’ Howard said. Really? ‘I don’t have anything.’”