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The Nuggets could not have even hoped to contain Kobe Bryant in Game 2.

Bryant led all scorers with 49 points to go with 10 assists as the Lakers prevailed 122-107 at STAPLES Center on Wednesday to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Pau Gasol added 18 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Walton scored 18 off the bench for Los Angeles. But it was Kobe's show as he went 18-of-27 from the floor and finished one point off his career playoff high. He scored 20 points in an electric first quarter and 25 in the half as the Lakers went into the lockerroom with a 10-point lead.

Bryant was replaced by Coby Karl, the son of Denver coach George Karl. It was the first time in NBA playoff history that a father has coached against his son.

The Nuggets played much better in the second half as Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony combined for 17 points in the third quarter. Iverson led Denver with 31 points and Anthony added 23.

Down 11 with 10:39 to play, Denver went on an 8-2 run to pull within five on J.R. Smith's 3-pointer with 10:25 to play. The Nuggets got within five again on Anthony's layup with 7:16 remaining, but Bryant heled trigger a 13-2 Lakers run with under seven minutes to play to help put the game out of reach.

Bryant scored 19 of the Lakers' final 24 points in the game.

The teams will square off again on in Game 3 on Saturday at 5:30 ET ON TNT.

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How else to interpret Chauncey Billups’ declaration that tonight’s Game 2 at the Palace isn’t necessarily a must-win game for the Pistons?

"I hope that this doesn’t happen, but if we were down 0-2, I still feel like we’d win the series," Billups said. "But I don’t want to get there and have to prove you all of that."

This is why the Pistons acknowledged Tuesday that they need to reestablish an offensive flow before this best-of-seven series shifts to Philadelphia on Friday. [Detroit Free Press]

To understand big-shot-Bob’s legacy, you have to see one play. That’s all. The background is simple: Sacramento was leading L.A. 2-1, Western Conference Finals. The Kings were also leading game four 99-97 with few ticks on the clock and, possibly, the Lakers’ season.

Or so we thought. The purple-and-gold had final possession. Kobe Bryant received the ball top-of-the-key; playing for the tie, he missed a tough drive left. Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t convert an easy put-back.

The Kings, in desperation, batted the ball to the top of the three-point arch. Waiting patiently was Horry. He gathered possession, calmly stroked the game-winning three, back-pedalling as time expired.

The Lakers won 100-99. The series may have been tied 2-2, but it was over. Three weeks later, L.A. won another NBA Title, while Sacramento has never recovered.

As the Rockets prepare for Thursday’s Game 3 at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Alston thinks there’s a good chance he’ll finally be on the court passing the ball rather than on the bench passing time.

"I’m pushing hard," Alston said of his rehab work. "I’m closer than I was two days ago. I’m doing things that I would have to do — slash, cut, being able to slide. Right now I’m pushing for Game 3."

The reasons for the Rockets’ first two losses are many, but the biggest is that the team has been shorthanded, forced to play without starters Alston and Yao Ming

Coach Phil Jackson acknowledged Monday for the first time that injured center Andrew Bynum’s chances of playing again this season were "remote."

Jackson was asked a question about the difficulty of hurriedly pairing Bynum with Pau Gasol and possibly messing up the Lakers’ chemistry when he said Bynum might not be able to return from a left kneecap injury.

"I think without a doubt that Andrew would come off the bench and we would play him a little bit off the bench if there was any chance that he could come back and play again, but it’s such a remote thing," he said. "We’re not seriously thinking about it." [LA Daily News]

San Antonio Express-News

Spurs fans rose to their feet for a loud ovation, and from the public-address loudspeaker the strains of "Sweet Home Alabama" were heard, which meant only one thing: Robert Horry was back in action for the Spurs.

Horry hadn't played since March 21 when he entered Tuesday's Game 2 of the Spurs' Western Conference first-round playoff series against Phoenix at the AT&T Center with 4:45 remaining in the first half.

"It felt great," Horry said. "It was good just to get a couple of minutes."

It would be Horry's only stint of the game, and he missed the only shot he took in his 3 minutes and 24 seconds. He did, however, have one memorable moment, blocking a point-blank Shaquille O'Neal shot with 3:25 left in the second period.

"That felt good," he said. "One thing I can do now and then is sneak in and get a block. I played with Shaq for seven years, so I know some of his moves down there on the block."

He's No. 4: Spurs forward Bruce Bowen, runner-up in voting for Defensive Player of the Year the previous two seasons, finished fourth Tuesday.
Boston's Kevin Garnett was this season's winner. "It wasn't a surprise that it went to a big man," Bowen said. "Except for the year (Ron) Artest won, it has gone to a big man most of the time."

Tim Duncan was ninth in voting by a 124-member media panel.

Politics in play: Popovich spent part of his pregame time watching election returns from the Pennsylvania Democratic primary election.

Popovich's response to Shaquille O'Neal's post-Game 1 complaints about the Spurs being "floppers" was to compare such talk to diversionary tactics in the political arena, saying he would rather talk about real issues, such as universal health care.

Suns point guard Steve Nash, a Canadian, knows universal health care and likes it.

"I think it's fantastic," he said. "No one is left behind, unless you need an MRI for a Suns-Spurs game. That might take you six months. Other than that, we're good."

Recycler: Nash, the two-time Most Valuable Player, released a commercial Tuesday, which was Earth Day, promoting his new Nike sneaker, the "Nike Trash Talk," which is made of recycled materials.

Nash's production company, Meathawk, produced the spot, which features Nash as the "$60 million man" and plays on his numerous on-court collisions.

"I'm the first athlete ever to wear a recycled high-performance shoe," Nash said, "and since today is Earth Day, I created a viral commercial for the shoe. Filmmaking, obviously, with my production company, is a passion of mine, and the environment is a passion of mine, too. To put the two together is a lot of fun."

-- Mike Monroe

Player spotlight: If Tony Parker experienced any pain from his collision with Shaquille O'Neal in the first half, he did a masterful job hiding it. In the first half, Parker was a one-man fastbreak, scoring a team-high 21 points on seven layups, one jumper and five free throws. Without Parker blowing past the Suns, the Spurs undoubtedly would have trailed at the half by much more than seven points.

Frozen moment: Leading by just six with less than two minutes left, the Spurs needed an easy bucket in the worst way. They got it when Manu Ginobili raced into the paint only to dump the ball off to Tim Duncan when the Suns' Amare Stoudemire closed in. Duncan dunked to give the Spurs a 99-91 edge with 1:47 left. Ginobili finished with 29 points, but it was his third and final assist that may have been the game's biggest play.

How the game was won: After trailing by seven at halftime, the Spurs took control by outscoring the Suns 27-11 in the third period. In the first half, the Spurs' big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker scored 51 of their team's 54 points. But Michael Finley came alive after the break, hitting 4 of 5 shots from the field for 8 points in the third quarter. Aiding Finley in the turnaround were reserves Ime Udoka and Brent Barry, who combined for 11 points. The Suns, meanwhile, missed 15 of their 18 shots in the period, which ended with the Spurs leading 81-72. “We played pretty good defense, and they also missed shots,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Tom Orsborn