Kobe Bryant With First Dunk of the Season (VIDEO)

Playing much better in his second game of the year, Kobe Bryant finished with 20 points and 3 assists. Bean also slammed in live action for the first time since tearing his Achilles, but couldn’t help the Los Angeles Lakers get back on the winning track (the Phoenix Suns took the 114-108 road victory.) Per the LA Times: “There was no cohesion, very little excitement and you could almost hear a home team fall below .500 with a 10-11 record. Bryant looked better — 20 points on six-for-11 shooting with three assists and three turnovers — but the Lakers fell to 0-2 with him after also suffering a home loss Sunday to Toronto. Lakers fans took out their anger on Pau Gasol, who scored 19 points but was a defensive liability and took only five rebounds in 29 minutes. ‘Put your big-boy pants on, Pau,’ yelled a voice from the crowd in the final minute, apparently irritated that the Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus, took turns gashing Gasol down the stretch. Phil Jackson floated into cyberspace via Twitter in the fourth quarter, urging the Lakers to make some defensive stops from whatever device he was using. They didn’t. They couldn’t. Maybe they just can’t right now. Marcus Morris came close to a career high with 22 points, a not-so-refreshing occurrence for a Lakers team that already allowed six opposing players to claim career nights against them. ‘Points in the paint right now is killing us,’ said Lakers Coach Mike D’Antoni, who wanted the Lakers’ defense to ‘almost be like spitting blood out there.’ […] (Bryant) said he felt lighter and more comfortable after losing several pounds the last few days, adding that his wife, Vanessa, ‘hates me. Play one game and you lose five pounds.’ He gave himself a ‘B’ grade Tuesday after giving himself an ‘F’ in his season debut, which he amended to a ‘D’ the following day.”