PHOENIX, 3 November 2003 — Kobe Bryant returned to the NBA to a mixed reception from the crowd on Saturday, but the Los Angeles Lakers used his 15 points to help edge the Phoenix Suns 103-99.

Bryant had three free throws in the final 66 seconds to help ensure the win, although he missed a free throw with 10.9 seconds remaining to give the Suns one last chance at the victory. Amare Stoudemire missed a three-pointer after Bryant’s miss to give the Lakers their second win in as many games.

Bryant played 37 minutes and went 4-for-12 from the floor. He is recovering from off-season knee surgery and is expected to be tried on a rape charge sometime during the season.

Shaquille O’Neal had 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Lakers, who struggled to win despite their powerful line-up.

Gary Payton had 19 points and nine assists, while Karl Malone added 18 points and 12 rebounds and Devean George had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Stephon Marbury scored 26 points and added 11 assists for the Suns, while Joe Johnson added 20 points.

Pistons 96 Magic 85

In Orlando, Richard Hamilton scored 20 points to lead the Detroit Pistons past the Magic 96-85. Chauncey Billups added 17 points for the Pistons, while Chucky Atkins added 14. Tracy McGrady scored 31 points for the Magic, which blew a 3-1 series lead to Detroit to lose in last year’s playoffs.

Nets 98 Wizards 85

In Washington, Jason Kidd had 30 points and nine assists to lead the New Jersey Nets to their second straight win, 98-85 over the Washington Wizards. Richard Jefferson added 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Nets, who never trailed. Rookie Jarvis Hayes had 16 points for the Wizards.

Pacers 103 Hawks 99 (OT)

In Atlanta, Anthony Johnson’s three-pointer with 22.6 seconds left in overtime gave the Indiana Pacers a 103-99 win over the Hawks. Ron Artest had 22 points to lead Indiana, while Al Harrington chipped in with 20.

Timberwolves 73 Raptors 56

In Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves played tight defense to beat the Toronto Raptors 73-56. Michael Olowokandi added 14 points for Minnesota, which held the Raptors to a franchise-low in points.

Vince Carter led Toronto with 15 points.

Hornets 97 Celtics 90

In New Orleans, Baron Davis scored 37 points to lead the Hornets over the Boston Celtics 97-90. David Wesley added 18 points for New Orleans, while P.J. Brown had 14 as Davis fired six three-pointers. Paul Pierce had 25 points to lead Boston, while Raef LaFrentz added 17 coming off the bench.

Mavericks 127 Jazz 102

In Dallas, Tony Delk had 22 points to lead a balanced attack as the Marvericks eased to a 127-102 win over the Utah Jazz.

Antawn Jamison added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas, while Antoine Walker and Steve Finley both added 16. DeShawn Stevenson scored 24 points to lead the Jazz.

Spurs 86 Knicks 74

In San Antonio, Tim Duncan had 15 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Spurs over the New York Knicks 86-74. Hedo Turkoglu added 14 points for the Spurs, who rebounded from a tough loss to Denver on Thursday.

Grizzlies 79 Rockets 70

In Houston, Lorenzen Wright scored 21 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 79-70 win over the Rockets. Pau Gasol added 12 points for Memphis, while Stromile Swift chipped in with 10.

Bucks 98 Bulls 68

In Milwaukee, Terry Porter won his home coaching debut as the Bucks hammered the Chicago Bulls 98-68. Joe Smith led the Bucks with 19 points, while Tim Thomas added 17 points. Jamal Crawford scored 17 points to lead Chicago.

Nuggets 109 Kings 88

In Sacramento, rookie Carmelo Anthony had 23 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 109-88 win over the Kings. Voshon Lenard had 15 points for Denver, which knocked off defending champion San Antonio on Thursday night. Marcus Camby had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Peja Stojakovic led Sacramento with 19 points. Mike Bibby had 15 points and 10 assists while Brad Miller had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Trail Blazers 104 Cavaliers 85

In Portland, Zach Randolph had 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Trail Blazers to a 104-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jeff McInnis added 15 points off the bench for Portland, which held rookie sensation LeBron James in check for most of the night. James had just eight points and six assists in his third NBA game, all losses.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 21 points for Cleveland.

Warriors 104 76ers 90

In Oakland, Mike Dunleavy had 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Golden State Warriors over the Philadelphia 76ers 104-90. Calbert Cheaney added 20 points for the Warriors.

Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie both had 19 points for the 76ers.