Lakers go quiet into the night

So much for 82-0.

The Lakers’ surprising start was interrupted by a blast of Pacific Northwest reality, the Seattle SuperSonics striking them from unbeaten status in a 117-101 blowout Sunday at KeyArena.

The league’s highest-scoring offense was stopped, dropped and rolled by the SuperSonics, and, of greater interest in the Lakers’ grand scheme, Kobe Bryant didn’t look quite himself, acting instead as a metaphor for the rest of the team -- tentative and indecisive.

Bryant, in his second game back from off-season knee surgery, lingered on the outside and looked to pass far more often than usual. He did a credible job of finding open teammates and collected nine assists, but 15 points on four-for-10 shooting isn’t the typical Bryant way. He played 39 minutes, looking hesitant in many of them.

“Very much so,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. “His timing’s off. I wanted him to play at the end there just so you kind of get a rhythm [when] it was a looser game, a little free-flowing.

“I don’t think we’re concerned. He feels like he’s kind of found a way to play. Now it’s a level of finding his timing, getting his rhythm so he can offensively contribute and not turn the ball over.”

Bryant missed all four of his three-point attempts and had three turnovers to bring his two-game total to nine. He said afterward his right knee felt fine and pinpointed the necessity to readjust to NBA speed.

“Just kind of getting the flow of the game down a little bit,” said Bryant, who had arthroscopic surgery July 15. “I haven’t played in a long, long time, so it’s just kind of getting that rhythm back. It felt like my passes were a little bit more sharper than they were the other night. Going forward, it’s just working within the offense and getting good looks and things like that. It’s step by step.”

Lamar Odom took a shuffle-step backward, his string of noteworthy games ending at three, disappearing along with his new-found aggressiveness. After averaging 28 points through three games, he did not take a shot inside the three-point arc in the first half and posted his lowest totals of the season -- 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists. He took only six shots, making three.

“He was really active [in the first quarter] and he shot the ball, and for some reason or another he turned down almost all the shots the rest of the game,” Jackson said.

Odom said afterward he felt fine. He blamed the loss on the “Two ‘E’s.”

“The effort and energy was bad,” he said, “and it showed.”

The Lakers showed few of the attributes that had pushed them to a 3-0 start and a 114-point-per-game offense.

Other than a brief 10-point lead in the first quarter, the Lakers had trouble deciding who should shoot the ball. Nobody seemed to want it.

The SuperSonics, on the other hand, gladly picked up their first victory in three tries.

“Maybe [Coach] Bob Hill jumped up and down on a chair or did something foolish in his locker room that got them inspired,” Jackson said. “For whatever reason, we weren’t at the same level they were.”

Even before the game, there were questions about when Bryant would return to full health.

“I can’t tell you that,” Jackson said. “I really don’t know. It’s real hard to adjust to the speed of the game when you haven’t played the game.”

Bryant had six turnovers in his return Friday against Seattle and lacked some of his usual explosiveness while scoring 23 points on eight-for-15 shooting.

Jackson noticed Bryant wasn’t as decisive with his outside shot, going up slowly instead of his usual burst.

It will be a gradual process, Jackson said.

“We’re going to see him come into his game bit by bit, I think, more than just all of a sudden he’s ready to score 40 points,” Jackson said.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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Lowdown

After averaging 28 points in the Lakers’ three victories, Lamar Odom was held to 11 points in Sunday’s loss at Seattle.

*--* Date Opponent, Result Pts FGM-FGA Oct. 31 Phoenix, W 34 12-24 Nov. 1 at Golden State, W 22 8-14 Nov. 3 Seattle, W 28 7-12 Nov. 5 at Seattle, L 11 3-6

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Source: NBA.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

* The Lakers were sloppy on offense all game, committing 22 turnovers, including an inexcusable 10 in the second quarter as the Sonics built a 57-49 halftime lead.

* Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen combined to make nine of 14 three-point attempts for Seattle, making one more from beyond the arc than the entire Lakers team.

* Andrew Bynum started off well with nine points in the first quarter, but the Lakers were dominated down low from there on out. Seattle had 48 points in the paint to only 32 for the Lakers. Bynum finished with 13 points.