ATLANTA - For Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, it was a rare chance to celebrate.They didnt pass it up.Bryant scored 28 points and the Lakers held on for just their second win, beating the Atlanta Hawks 114-109 on Tuesday night.A locker room that has been solemn most of the season was a lot more raucous this time.Man, oh man, thats a lot better, Jeremy Lin said. Its been a rough start to the season.Bryants biggest shot came with 1:11 remaining, when he backed in against Thabo Sefolosha and made a fadeaway jumper despite being fouled. Bryant slapped hands with a fan on the front row and completed the three-point play, giving the Lakers a 108-102 lead.Its been tough, Bryant said. But you find beauty in the process.The Hawks had a chance to force overtime after the Lakers (2-9) failed to put it away at the line. But Los Angeles smothered long-range threat Kyle Korver, leaving Pero Antic to take an open 3-pointer. It clanked off the rim and the Lakers gobbled up the loose ball to seal the victory.Paul Millsap led Atlanta with 29 points.Carlos Boozer added 20 points for the Lakers. Nick Young, coming back from a thumb injury, had 17 in his first game of the season.Jeff Teague scored 23 for the Hawks, who lost for the first time at home.In the first half, the Lakers hardly looked like a team that had lost nine of its first 10 games, putting up a season high for points in a half while racing to a 67-52 lead. Bryant scored 19 points and Boozer chipped in with 18 as Los Angeles shot 61 per cent (27 of 44) and outrebounded the Hawks 22-15.Games are not won in the first quarter, Korver said. But they can be lost in the first quarter. Weve got to do better at the start of the game. Weve got to bring more energy, bring more juice.The Hawks started the second half with a 13-0 run but never made it all the way back from the early deficit. Down the stretch, the Lakers made enough plays to snap a four-game losing streak.Even after Bryant missed a wild one from the corner, Jordan Hill snatched away the offensive rebound and laid it back in to put Los Angeles ahead 111-106 with 17.7 seconds remaining.The only thing that gave Atlanta hope was the Lakers woes at the foul line. They missed three of five at one point in the closing seconds.But Antic, left all alone outside the arc, couldnt make the tying 3.Its basically an easy shot, he said. I usually make that shot.___SWAGGER RETURNSAfter missing the first 10 games while recovering from a torn ligament in his left thumb, Young provided the spark the Lakers so desperately needed. Its just like the swagger factor, Young quipped. It just rubs off on everybody.NO BOUNCEBACKAfter falling behind by 43 points in their last game, a 127-94 blowout at Cleveland, the Hawks got off to another sluggish start. I thought we would come out with more energy, Millsap said. But that was not the case. We dug ourselves a hole and paid for it.TIP-INSLakers: Bryant now had 32,001 points. Hes fourth in the career standings, with Michael Jordan (32,292) next in his sights. Its a lot of work over 19 years, Bryant said. ... The Lakers biggest lead was 17 points. ... Wayne Ellington missed his fifth straight game since the death of his father, who was fatally shot on Nov. 9. He could rejoin the team for its game Friday at Dallas, coach Byron Scott said.Hawks: Atlanta dropped to 4-1 at Philips Arena. ... DeMarre Carroll missed his fourth straight game with a strained groin. ... Antic finished 2 of 9 from the field, while another backup, Mike Scott, was 3 of 11.UP NEXTLakers: At Houston on Wednesday.Hawks: Host Detroit on Friday.___Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 Justin Anderson Hawks Jersey . 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Ellerby, 25, appeared in 51 games for the Jets last season and had two goals and four assists.SOCHI -- After the team photo had been snapped, after the Canadian players had taken off their game sweaters and pulled on their practice jerseys, Sidney Crosby and head coach Mike Babcock skated a few laps around the ice together and held what appeared to be a deep discussion. They looked each other in the eye. They made gestures with their hands. The two leaders were engaged. In fact, near the end of the conversation Babcock skated through a crease, while Crosby toured behind the net as a puck whizzed behind the back of the coachs head. He didnt even notice and kept on talking. “I think everybody has to adjust a little bit and was just making sure Im on the same page as far as what he expects and what he wants,” Crosby explained after Canadas second practice at the Bolshoy Ice Dome. “The offensive part and the skill that we have, I think that will come quicker then some of the adjustments we might make in the defensive zone. Defensive zone coverage was the topic of discussion between the two as they skated. Babcock and his coaching staff had shown the players a video in one of the many meetings the group has had since arriving in Sochi on Monday. Crosby wanted some clarification. “There was a little confusion there,” Babcock said. “We sorted it out. That gives me a chance tomorrow to sort it out with the group. “What weve tried to encourage is … if there is something as a player you dont feel or dont know, we encourage you to talk. The idea is to get everyone comfortable so we can play the game fast. When youre thinking you dont go fast. That was a good part of the process. Obviously, [Crosby] is a guy who is real comfortable and we want that from the captain. We want him to ask questions if there are any issues.” Crosby won a world junior title and steered the Rimouski Oceanic to a Memorial Cup final as a teenager. He was a Stanley Cup champion as a captain before his 22nd birthday and won an Olympic gold medal nine months later. Next chapter Now the 26-year-old Crosby has been asked to take over as captain for Scott Niedermayer, who had thee captaincy in Vancouver four years ago, and write the next chapter in Canadian hockey leadership that stretches from the smooth-skating defenceman to Mario Lemieux and all the way back to Phil Esposito and beyond.dddddddddddd ``I think youre much more used to things, youre a little wide-eyed that first time,” Crosby said. “The biggest thing I learned from a guy like Scotty is that he didnt really say that much, he just said the right thing at the right time. The way he carried himself and his whole demeanour that he had, his quiet confidence, it was really something that was felt throughout the whole room. ``The other thing here is that weve got a lot of guys who have played together not just the last Olympics but going back a ways, I think theres some trust there. And for the new guys coming in, you try to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Were trying to do that. Thats the strength of Canada, guys always come together pretty quick. Thats instilled in us at an early age. I like that side of things for sure. Niedermayer was 37 when he captained Canada to gold in 2010. He retired a few months later. Mario Lemieux was 36 when he captained Canada to gold in 2002. He retired before the next Olympics. Does age matter when it comes to Olympic hockey leadership? Babcock likes the fact that Crosby will be surrounded by all the returnees from the Vancouver team. “The reality for me is we have 11 guys back from the last time who had success,” he said. “We have a new opportunity and we have to come up with a new identity. Does experience help in winning? Absolutely. Does the Olympics weigh in more than the guy who has won a Stanley Cup, I dont know that? “I know I like guys who have won because theyve been through it and done it right. You dont win unless youve done it right. In the details is whats going to separate. There is a whole bunch of teams with really good players. Someone is going to become a really good team and win the tournament. Thats what were going to try to do. Were going to try to get better each and every day so we can win.” ' ' '