Bryant, O’Neal Lead the Way

It may have been Shaquille O’Neal who attracted the fans for the Lakers’ exhibition opener against the Denver Nuggets, but it was Kobe Bryant who entertained them.

Bryant scored 31 points in 25 minutes as the Lakers overwhelmed the Nuggets, 135-102, Thursday night before 10,754 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Bryant made 10 of 14 shots, including all three three-point shots.

“Kobe was fantastic,” Laker Coach Del Harris said. “Occasionally he tried to do too much. We want him to pick his spots instead of trying to hit a home run.”

O’Neal had 25 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in 22 minutes. He made nine of 11 free throws.

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If not for Dean Smith, free-agent forward Rick Fox might not have signed with the Lakers last summer.

Fox, who played for Smith at North Carolina, called Smith for advice when he was weighing offers.

Smith, who retired Thursday, recommended the Lakers, where Mitch Kupchak, a former Tar Heel, is general manager.

“I spoke with Coach and he said he had the utmost respect for the Lakers,” Fox said. “He signed off on the organization as the most likely place for me to be successful and finish the rest of my career.”

Fox had 12 points, three rebounds and five assists in his Laker debut against the Nuggets.

“I thought it was obvious that Rick Fox is the kind of player who will fit in on any team,” Harris said. “He can do so much with the basketball. He creates shots for his teammates.”

Fox started the third quarter in place of Elden Campbell. He looked good on the fastbreak, taking a baseball pass from O’Neal and setting up Eddie Jones for a layup with a no-look pass.

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Harris said the Nuggets are one of the few teams that will run with the Lakers.

“It reminded me of the old days 15 years ago,” Harris said. “We used to give chickens away when we scored 135 points in Houston and Mike Dunleavy became known as chicken man for hitting the 135th point seven times.”