ONTARIO, Calif. -- When Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant finally emerged from the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room late in the first quarter, they got a standing ovation just for walking to their seats.

The Lakers' fans shouldn't worry. Their big stars expect to be out of street clothes and back in uniform very soon -- and for much bigger games than an exhibition in the Inland Empire.

Damian Lillard had 14 points and seven assists in his first NBA action, and the Portland Trail Blazers ran to a 93-75 victory over Los Angeles in a preseason game Wednesday night.

The Lakers visited their avid fans an hour east of Los Angeles with just 60 percent of their projected starting lineup in uniform. Bryant sat out to rest a strained rightand how to combine them," Gasol said. "We have two main guys out, and they make a big difference, so we'll have to see how we play when we're full force."

Bryant said he tweaked his shoulder while dunking on Antawn Jamison in practice Tuesday, but it didn't start hurting until later that day. He wanted to play against Portland, but the team overruled him with six preseason games still left on its schedule.

Howard has refused to say when he might make his Lakers debut, but the six-time All-Star is participating in every practice with no apparent limitations. Howard worked out on the Ontario court with Lakers assistant coaches Chuck Person and Darvin Ham about 30 minutes before the game, delighting hundreds of early arriving, camera-wielding fans who didn't