LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant's resonant voice echoed through the darkened Staples Center while images from his life and career flickered on the scoreboard above.
LeBron James' heartfelt pregame speech honoring his friend then left Lakers fans and players alike cheering through tears.
The Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers somehow had to play a basketball game after a wrenching pregame ceremony honoring Bryant and the other eight victims of the helicopter crash just five days earlier.
And Damian Lillard gave a performance that nudged aside the basketball world's collective heartbreak for just a moment.
Lillard scored 48 points and the Trail Blazers beat Los Angeles 127-119 on Friday night in the Lakers' first game since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others die
