Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers notched their first win of the NBA season Friday, rallying for a 104-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. In a Brooklyn arena packed with Bryant fans, the Lakers veteran shook off a slow start to score 18 points. Rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell had his most productive game yet with 16 points, guard Jordan Clarkson also chipped in 16 and the Lakers upped their defensive intensity — much to the satisfaction of coach Byron Scott. "We were just much more aggressive," Scott said. "We played with much more sense of urgency." The Nets trailed by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter and by nine with less than four minutes to play. And with 25.7 seconds to go they had trimmed the deficit to 98-95 when Nets point guard Jarrett Jack forced a turnover. In-bounding the ball with a chance to tie the game, the Nets were called for a five-second violation. Bryant then drained four free throws to rebuild the Lakers' lead as chants of "Kobe! Kobe!" echoed around the arena. "It is great the fans appreciate him the way that they do and they're showing their appreciation," Scott said. The Nets (0-6) remain in search of a first win of the season, along with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans. Magic 92, Raptors 87: Forward Tobias Harris scored 20 points as the Orlando Magic handed the Toronto Raptors their first loss of the season. Magic guard Victor Oladipo had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Center Dewayne Dedmon, getting his first start in place of the injured Nikola Vucevic, had 10 points, four rebounds and three blocks. Guard DeMar DeRozan, who sdcored just three points in the first half, finished with 23 to lead the Raptors while Kyle Lowry scored 17 and reserve guard Cory Joseph 19 points. The game was tied six times in a close fourth quarter. Celtics 118, Wizards 98: The Boston Celtics roared out of the gate with a 40-point first quarter and ended a three-game losing streak by cruising to a 118-98 win over the Washington Wizards. The Celtics shot 65.4 percent from the floor in the first quarter and went on to finish the first half with 72 points. Boston's Jared Sullinger scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Kelly Olynyk came off the bench with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Boston's Isaiah Thomas and Evan Turner both scored 16 points, Thomas with eight assists and Turner six rebounds. Cavaliers 108, 76ers 102: LeBron James scored 31 points and had 13 assists in Cleveland's 108-102 victory over Philadelphia. Cavaliers' forward Kevin Love contributed 12 points and 14 rebounds, center Timofey Mozgov scored 13 points and guard Mo Williams added 16 points and eight assists. Forward Richard Jefferson came off the bench to score 17 points. Philadelphia's Nerlens Noel posted his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers. Bucks 99, Knicks 92: John Henson returned after missing four games with an Achilles tendon injury to score 22 points and lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 99-92 win over the New York Knicks. The forward came off the bench for the Bucks and provided a fourth quarter surge, scoring 11 points. His two free throws and a hook shot gave the Bucks a 79-75 lead with 9:45 to play. Knicks guard Derrick Williams' two free throws tied it at 81-81 with 7:55 to play, but Milwaukee went on a 14-5 burst to move ahead 95-86 with 1:37 remaining. Carmelo Anthony, who missed the last 30 games of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery, led the Knicks with 17 points. Other results: Hawks 121, Pelicans 115; Pacers 90, Heat 87; Pistons 100, Suns 92; Warriors 119, Nuggets 104; Rockets 116, Kings 110. — Agencies
