SoCal NBA Capsule

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Pau Gasol got a first-hand look at his new team. He had to be impressed. Kobe Bryant scored 19 of his 30 points in the first quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Washington Wizards, 103-91, on Sunday in a game that was not as close as the score indicated.

Acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday for center Kwame Brown and two other players, Gasol underwent a physical in Los Angeles on Saturday. Lakers coach Phil Jackson elected to keep Gasol on the bench after the seven-foot center make a cross-country flight. But with Bryant on fire from the outset, Los Angeles did not need its newest addition. Bryant helped the Lakers deliver an early knockout, as they led 30-15 after the first quarter and 63-39 at halftime. He scored 25 points in the first half - one less than the combined total of the Wizards' starting five. Los Angeles shot 66 percent (25-of-38) in the opening half while holding Washington to 36 percent (15-of-42).

The Lakers, who never trailed, improved to 2-1 on a nine-game road trip that continues in New Jersey on Tuesday. The NBA's second-leading scorer behind LeBron James, Bryant is averaging 35.8 points in his last six contests. During that stretch, he has two games with at least 40 points, including 46 in Friday's 121-101 win at Toronto. With the contest out of reach, Bryant did not look to score as much in the second half and sat out most of the fourth quarter. Antawn Jamison recorded his 27th double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards, who have dropped three straight.