I know Lakers fan are excited after last night! Talk about a debut. It might have taken The Dwight Howard Era of Los Angeles Lakers basketball a little while to get off the ground, but it appears it was well worth the wait.
Howard played his first game as a Laker in Sunday’s 99-92 loss to the Sacramento Kings, nearly six months to the day after undergoing major back surgery to repair a herniated disk. It was barely noticeable that Howard had ever been out as he filled up the box score with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting, 12 rebounds, four blocks and two assists while playing 33 minutes.
“It was fun,” Howard told reporters after the game. “I had a lot of fun tonight. I’m just thankful and blessed to be able to step on the floor again.”
The 26-year-old center did not waste time getting his name in the scorebook. He assisted on a Kobe Bryant 3-pointer on the Lakers’ first possession and threw down an alley-oop off a Pau Gasol feed less than a minute later for his first bucket while wearing purple and gold.
Bryant returned the favor to Howard late in the second quarter, lofting a pass up towards the rim that Howard dutifully grabbed and sent home for a slam, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
“I just wanted to make sure he gets his feet wet,” Bryant said. “There’s been a lot of expectations placed upon him and upon us to live up to the hype and I didn’t want him to feel nervous.”
Howard appreciated the love from his new hometown fans.
“I actually shed a couple tears tonight during the starting lineups,” Howard said. “One of my teammates caught me so I had to like try to hide it. I was just excited and a little emotional because I haven’t been on the court in awhile.”
Howard’s debut infused the rest of the Lakers’ celebrated starting lineup with energy and the group looked sharp playing together as a unit, starting off the game by making 6 of 8 shots. The Lakers shot 60.6 percent as a team in the first half and assisted on 15 of their 20 baskets.
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WRITTEN BY Dave McMenamin | ESPNLosAngeles.com & FULL STORY HERE
