LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant sat out three of the past four games to rest, and perhaps all that time off made him rusty, because he didn't have any rhythm during his return, a 78-75 loss to the Miami Heat Tuesday at Staples Center.
The Lakers star shot 3-of-19 from the floor, including 2-of-9 in the fourth quarter when the Lakers were tying to pull off a dramatic comeback win after trailing 18-0 out of the gate.
The Lakers never led and fell to 12-27.
The 36-year-old Bryant finished with 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 32 minutes, which was the most Lakers coach Byron Scott said he'd play Bryant.
Player of the game: This was a pretty ugly game, as the final score obviously indicates, but the one player you couldn't take your eyes off of was backup Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked five shots in 22 minutes.
Stat of the game: The Lakers missed their first 11 shots, which foreshadowed the brick-filled performance that followed. They missed 63 field goals overall. Nick Young shot 2-of-11, Carlos Boozer shot 1-of-8, Wesley Johnson shot 3-of-13. Woof.
Lone bright spot: Rookie forward Tarik Black continued his strong play for the Lakers, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.