WASHINGTON (AP) -Kobe Bryant's first field-goal attempt, officially, came about 5 minutes into Friday night's game.

Finding his path blocked on a drive into the lane, Bryant ``shot' the ball off the glass right back to himself, then threw a perfect pass to Pau Gasol for a wide-open jumper. Bryant drew louder ``oohs' and ``aahs' later with a double-pump, two-handed reverse jam off a behind-the-back feed from Trevor Ariza.

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Bryant entertained enough to draw ``M-V-P!' chants again on the road, but he and his teammates on the best-in-the-West Lakers also nearly found a way to blow a 20-point lead against the worst-in-the-East Wizards before pulling out a 106-104 victory.

``We got a little complacent,' acknowledged Bryant, who finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson's assessment?

``Poor coaching,' he said. ``That's what it was tonight. Putting too much trust and faith in a younger group - a second unit. They just can't hold it on the road. They can't withstand the fury or the intensity of the fourth quarter. I'm going to have to change it up a little bit.'

With Bryant sitting on the sideline to start the final period, Los Angeles allowed Washington to make a game of it. It was quite similar to what happened in a last-second loss to the Indiana Pacers earlier in the week.

But this time, Los Angeles was able to win, improving to 16-2. The Wizards fell to 3-14 for the first time since the 1966-67 season, when they were known as the Baltimore Bullets.

``We could be playing much better,' Bryant said. ``Games like this don't sit right with you.'

After banking in a running 12-foot jumper over Caron Butler with 25 seconds left, Bryant missed the second of two foul shots 10 seconds later, giving the Wizards a chance for the upset. Butler said he tried to get in Bryant's head before the free throws.

``I was messing with him,' said Butler, Bryant's teammate for one season in Los Angeles. ``I went and walked up to him and said, 'Man, give me one.''

Up to then, Bryant was 13-for-13 at the line, but he obliged. Butler dribbled out most of what was left on the clock before launching a 3-point attempt over Ariza shortly before the buzzer.

``It felt real good,' said Butler, who scored 26 points. ``I had no intention of driving it. I was going for the win.'

Said Wizards interim coach Ed Tapscott: ``I'm not going to say I was praying, but I was praying. And the shot looked good.'

It hit off the front of the rim. The ball bounced toward Washington's Andray Blatche, whose quick tip-in try missed as time expired.

Tapscott was happy to have All-Star forward and co-captain Butler take the final shot. Tapscott, though, wished Butler had taken it a bit sooner, leaving a little more time on the clock for a putback.

``We shot it 2 seconds too late. ... If he squeezes it off 2 seconds earlier, we might still be playing,' Tapscott said.

Told of those comments, Butler disagreed.

``Nah, you know, I thought I took it just in time, because - clean look, and if it went in, game was over. You didn't want it to be one of those situations in which the shot goes in, you've got a second left, and the best closer in basketball is at the other end, you know, asking for the ball,' Butler said. ``So it was like one of those situations - you want the time to run out and hit the shot and run to the locker room with your hands up.'

Not this time.

Bryant, only 5-for-17 from the field, had plenty of help. Andrew Bynum delivered a season-high 19 points, along with 10 rebounds, and Pau Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds - part of a half-dozen Lakers who scored in double figures.

Still, the victory did not come easily.

``We have to make sure our minds are always in the game, no matter how big the lead is,' Gasol said. ``We need to make sure we finish things off. We can't afford to joke around.'

Notes: Blatche had 18 points and 12 rebounds. ... Jackson said four of his players - Bryant, Ariza, Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar - have a competition going to see who can accumulate the most steals this season. Jackson isn't necessarily thrilled, noting that Bryant sometimes ``comes away empty-handed, which compromises our defense.'